This idea and feeling of invisibility resonates within me deeply, as I believe it does with so many others. Have you ever had these thoughts, “No one sees me. I could be dressed in bright yellow in the middle of a crowd screaming and yet no one would see me. I work harder than most daily to the point of exhaustion and I get overlooked, someone who does less is favored more by people and gets the promotion or all the praise. I sit here in the midst of many, feeling like all of a sudden I have the power of invisibility.” Everyone you seem to know (or even don’t know) is in a relationship and yet no matter how much time you spend on getting ready each day (physically and prayerfully), it never seems to make a difference because as far as you are concerned God has made you invisible. Here is the thing, what God has actually meant for good and protection for you, the enemy will ALWAYS distort to make it seem that God doesn’t care and God has dismissed your feelings and longings.
So your obvious question may be, “How can it be a good thing that God is making me invisible? It sounds horrible.” Let me explain some reasons.
It allows things of your heart to come to the surface:
A lot of things will come to the surface that normally wouldn’t in these situations. We are being refined and in order for the impurities to be exposed, heat is necessary. “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1Peter 1:7 NLT
The most common things that come up are:
Pride: Pride makes us feel as if we are entitled to things. We feel we are entitled to bitter feelings, actions and unforgiveness. Bottom line, we feel we are better than someone else and that they are undeserving. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” My interpretation of that is, when pride comes, destruction follows. Pride often is hand in hand with the feeling of unfairness. When we feel we are being treated unfair we begin to allow pride to creep in.
Envy/Jealousy: We become consumed by what others may have that we want. Once envy takes root in our hearts and lives it contaminates everything. It blurs our vision to see things as they really are. It hardens our hearts which in turn makes us harbor ill feelings about others and life. It blocks us from our blessings. Again, we feel we are entitled to those things that others may have. Ask yourself this question; would you really want someone else’s blessings that were not made specifically for you? Or would you prefer to have blessings perfectly designed for you? One of a kind blessings.
Bitterness: Bitterness leads to anger, harboring unforgiveness, negative thoughts and emotions towards others. It is dangerous. Like Envy, it contaminates the heart. It is prudent to cut it off before it has a chance to grow.
Motives: Check them. If you’re exhausting yourself to please man, your motives are misguided. They need to be realigned with the focus that everything you do (seen or unseen) is working for God. He is your Rewarder. His reward far outweighs mans. I’d much rather work for God who can do ALL things, instead of man who can only do some. The wrong motives often lead to unmet expectations and lead us to do things we normally wouldn't do to appease or receive praise from man.
Here are some great verses to ponder on what I've talked about:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”-Matthew 6:1-18
”For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”-Galatians 1:10
It is protection for your heart:
If God were to uncover you at the wrong times, it would leave you open for the wrong relationships. By being covered (invisible) you are able to remain out of unhealthy relationships which would inevitability lead to another broken heart. And if you are licking your wounds and broken from that relationship that God had never intended you to get into in the first place, you will not be healthy or ready for the right relationship. God is setting you up for success, not failure. He is protecting your heart and that is what a true gentleman does. So just because you may be out with all your friends looking fabulous after hours of getting ready, and yet no man will even look your direction, DOES NOT (I repeat, DOES NOT) mean there is something wrong with you. It DOES NOT mean you are ugly, unappealing, unwanted, fat or forever alone. It simply and beautifully means God loves you so much he is protecting your heart for the right one.
It prepares us and humbles us:
You have to get honest with yourself. Would you really be able to handle your blessings properly if God gave them to you right now? Or would you end up losing them because you were unprepared to accept and nurture them? God is not a cruel God that gets pleasure in withholding blessings from us. He withholds them so that at the right time we will not only be able to keep them, but also be humble and grateful knowing they came directly from God perfectly formed, designed and fitted for us.
It tests our true faith:
Will we still follow God if at this moment or season in our lives we are not getting what we want? Will we be thankful and praise Him in ALL seasons, or only when we feel we are treated fairly? God wants to see where are heart is at. He wants to know that you will trust Him in the desert and in the land of milk and honey.
If you have been feeling invisible recently or for a while, be encouraged! It means that God has our blessings right around the corner and is covering us from anything that would potentially rob us of them. You are all truly loved. You are all royalty no matter how many have treated you like a peasant. Put on your invisible crown and hold your head high, you are beautifully and wonderfully made.