I Am Not Invisible
Connie Bernard

It was finally here. I was sitting enjoying a wonderful worship set at General Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, this past fall. The Spirit of God was moving in a powerful, yet sweet way. But there amid eight to nine thousand people, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was alone and that no one really saw me—until I felt God in a very specific way. He let me know immediately that He saw me.

I am thankful to have grown up in a loving Christian family where I gained confidence at an early age. I heard phrases of this kind on a regular basis: “Put your shoulders back; you can do anything you set your mind to!”

There are times we have these thoughts: “I am invisible.” “No one sees me.” “No one cares whether I am here or not.” “If I were not at church, no one would even notice.” These are things the enemy tells us—all of us—all the time. And they are lies, all lies. Everything that comes from his mouth is a lie! The saying “The grass is always greener on the other side” is so not true. There will always be weeds on the other side. It is all a matter of our perspective.

I travel extensively with my husband, David Bernard, ministering to people across our fellowship. There are times when I love coming home and just being alone. For me, there is nothing like having quiet time. There are some of you who say, “That sounds fabulous!” Then there are some of you who say, “That is me 95 percent of the time—and I am so tired of being alone.”

Ladies, we are never alone! We are never invisible. First, He promised He would never leave us. Hebrews 13:5 records, “God has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will never abandon you’” (NCV). You may have had people abandon you, family abandon you, but He will never abandon you! I like to say, we are stuck with Him and He is stuck with us. “The Lord says, ‘This is my agreement with these people: My Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you or your children or your grandchildren, now and forever’” (Isaiah 59:21, NCV). He said, “My Spirit.” That is Him! How many times have you been somewhere and a feeling of loneliness sweeps over you—then you feel His beautiful sweet Spirit wrap you in His arms? There is nothing like having God in our lives! We are never invisible and never alone.
 
That is all good and true, and I know that He is with me, but sometimes I just need someone to talk to, to get a hug from. This is thought by many of us at different times. Ladies, there are so many people around us daily who love us and care for us. Some of you may not have biological family to lean on, or you may have family but you are the only one serving the Lord. Guess what? You have a great, big family of God who loves you and is there for you! Yes, but no one reaches out to me, you think. No one can read your mind. Yes, there are some who are sensitive to the Lord and can sense when something is not right with someone—and I am thankful for those sensitive souls. But if you are struggling with being “invisible,” then make yourself visible. Make yourself known. If you need a hug, ask for it!

There are also times that we may have these thoughts: Jesus, am I the only one around here who still believes in a godly lifestyle? Are there any who still believe in holiness? Well, can I tell you there are more than seven thousand who have not bowed to this world? “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (I Kings 19:18).

It is still right to live a godly life. You are not alone! You are not invisible, and your dedication and example are not invisible. The minute we walk out our doors, we are His shining light. When we see people looking at us with a peculiar look on their faces, they are not thinking, “Hmm, she’s a funny bird. What a funny color of hair. Why doesn’t she dye her hair? Her face is crooked. She needs to lose weight.” No, what they are really thinking is, “Wow, she is a beautiful woman, and there is something about her that is different!”

So, let me remind you: I am not invisible; you are not invisible. We are seen by God, by those around us who love us, and by those we have yet to meet. We are His walking, talking billboards. When we walk out of our doors each day, may our thoughts be: Jesus, who do You want me to talk to today? Direct them my way; put them in my path. Let me be Your hands and feet. Let me shine for You today. Let Your Spirit radiate and shine outwardly to someone who needs You today. 

If we will change our perspective and not think about our struggles, our loneliness, our challenges, but instead think about what He has called us to do, it will change our trajectory for each day. And let’s each remind someone else that they are not alone!

The above article, “I Am Not Invisible” was written by Connie Bernard. The article was excerpted from ladiesministries.com.

The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.