A Travel Guide for Life, Faith, and Relationships!
Invisibility isn’t something I’ve ever struggled with. I tend to be loud, even obnoxious, at times. I pastor a relatively large church. I’m a published author, a blogger, I appear on television once in a while, and on the radio often.
I am not famous. I never get stopped at the mall for my autograph. But just about everywhere I go in town either somebody says, “Hi, Pastor Kurt!” or they avoid me because they know me.
Sometimes I wish I were invisible, but I'm not. (That would be my first request if I could choose a superpower.) I rarely even honk at people because I’m worried they might recognize me.
But lots of people, and maybe you’re one of them, feel like they’re never noticed. Some can go days or weeks without anyone calling them or somebody saying “Hi” at the grocery store. For them, invisibility is a reality that they’d rather not experience.
It’s hard. Even if you’re shy, no one wants to be invisible to people. You want to matter to someone. You want someone to notice you. You want and need the affirmation of others because you’re human, and we humans are communal. We were made to be in meaningful and valuable relationships with others.
Nobody wants to be a nobody.
I happen to be married to a person who feels invisible sometimes. Her name is Laura, and she’s incredible. What’s crazy (and I’m serious) is that she should be famous.
She’s an amazing wife, mother, and grandmother. She’s personally mentored more women than I can count. She runs her own business in which she’s far more concerned about helping others than she is about making money.
What’s more, she’s been married to me for nearly 43 years, and that makes her worthy of a medal (a purple heart, at least, after all the times I’ve wounded her).
And Laura is, without a doubt, the wind in my sails, the sparkle in my eyes, and the best friend I’ve ever had. She’s my confidant, my counselor, my comforter, and my colleague.
Everything I write she reads first. Her advice and input are invaluable to me.
She keeps me focused. She lifts me up when I’m down. She always finds a way to encourage me no matter how grumpy or pathetic I am.
There’s an old cliché that says, “Behind every great man is a great woman,” but I can assure you, Laura is ahead of me in so many ways. She’s not behind me; she’s before me, next to me, and above me in every way that truly matters to the Father.
But sometimes she feels unnoticed.
Sometimes she wonders if she matters.
Sometimes she struggles with the not-so-super-power of invisibility.
So, I asked her once, “Honey, what keeps you going when you feel unimportant, unnoticed, and unseen?”
And she said, with a tender voice and wisdom that always impresses me, “What keeps me going is that I know God loves me for who I am, and I know He always notices me.”
Wow.
Like I said, she’s amazing.
And I’m pretty sure that when we all get to heaven, Laura will have a place of great honor and will probably be running things!
Why?
Because “great” in the Kingdom of God is radically different from great in the kingdoms of this world.
So please remember . . .
God knows and loves you too.
He sees you.
And you’re never invisible to Him.
Whoever continually humbles himself
to become like a gentle child
is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom.
Matthew 18:4 (TPT)
