Ever Feel Invisible?

There are times in life that I have been in the middle of a crowd, but feel invisible. Nobody notices me. If I walked out the door, no one would miss me. It is one thing to feel alone when you walk away from people or live by yourself. It is entirely another thing to desire to be someone of worth, only to be ignored and pushed away. I think most, if not all, have gone through those hard times when we desperately want to matter, but seem invisible. In Genesis, Abram had been promised that, even though he was getting old, he and his wife would have a son. His wife Sarai was baren and, even if she wasn’t, was past the age of child bearing. After a while, with no child conceived, Sarai told Abram to take her servant Hagar and bear a child. Even though the law recognized such a child as Abram's, this was not what God had promised. Hagar became pregnant and, because she was carrying Abram’s child, started looking down on Sarai. Long story short, Sarai, with Abram’s permission, began to mistreat Hagar, so she ran away, still carrying Abram’s child. Had Hagar not despised Sarai, none of this would have happened. An angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar and told her to go back and submit to Sarai. Before returning and submitting to Abram and Sarai, she experienced something amazing. In Genesis 16, we read, “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."... So, Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.” Even though Ishmael was not the child God had promised, he still watched over and caused Ishmael’s descendants to be fruitful. What struck me the most, however, was Hagar’s words, “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." A foreign servant who had no right to expect God’s mercy understood that she was not alone in her suffering, but that God saw her, understood her circumstance, and watched over her. Never forget that just like Hagar, God sees you too. He knows your heart and your struggles, your life and your circumstances. Beyond that, He knows you. Father, it is so hard to comprehend Your compassion for people. Help us also to see those that have been forgotten or rejected. Amen