I see you on Sundays and most Wednesday nights. When we pass in the hall, I slow my pace to smile and say, "good morning." You respond with "hello," never slowing down to get where you are going. You see me, but yet I am invisible.
As I sit quietly in my chair waiting for service to begin, you are talking with others around me. During the "turn and greet someone" time in the worship service, you walk past me to speak with those you know, even through I am sitting by myself. You see be, but yet I am invisible.
In an effort to become more involved with the church family, I volunteer to help wherever there is a need. You refuse my offer with a condescending, "thanks so much, but we don't need help there." You see me, but yet I am invisible.
Why don't you take those few moments to stop and talk? Do you not have time in your life or room in your heart to get to know one more person? Or is it because I'm not like you, not meeting the standards you've set in your all-so-perfect life?
Could it be because my clothes are faded or out of style? My purse does not match my clothes, much less my scuffed and worn shoes. My only jewelry is a simple watch and a small ring. My hair is long overdue for a cut and is in dire need of a perm or color. My hands are not manicured. My smile needs dental work. My eyes need new glasses. You see me, but yet I am invisible.
Where is the Christian love I hear so much about - that God loves us all no matter our bank account?
As I sit alone and watch you week after week, I begin to feel sorry for you. How sad it must be to value another human based on their appearance, never getting to know the person inside. Do I remind you of the person you once were, or the person that you never want to be?
I am a single parent, struggling to survive. I am a battered wife in fear for my life. I am HIV positive, praying for a cure. I've just aborted my baby because no one cared. I am a drug addict seeking the eternal high. I am an alcoholic wanting a drink from the river of life.
I am young and I am old. I am tall and I am short. I am thin and I am fat. My skin is colored many tones. I walk with a limp. I talk with a lisp. I hear with an aid.Yet I have so much to offer, if only you'd look. I am a new voice for the choir or actor for a play. I'm an excellent cookie maker. I do construction by trade. I used to teach Bible school in my younger days.
I pray for you - for God to open your eyes and your heart to to those "below" your own vain standards of life. Please remember: As high in life as you think you are, you will always fall short of someone else's standards.
I may be invisible to you, but I know I am not invisible to God.
- Deborah Lynn
(First published, in slightly modified form, in the Prattville/Autauga County Gazette, August 2004)
