Editorial December 2, 2013 Issue

The un-invisible man

The Editors

Middle-aged women in the entertainment industry battle a common foe. They frequently complain of becoming invisible. A recent magazine article, quoting a well-known actress in her 50s, reported this, “When you’re walking down the street, you get bumped into, people slam doors in your face—they just don’t notice you. Somehow, you just vanish” (The Week, August 16–23, 2013). But such a complaint is not reserved for famous women, or for the middle-aged. People in all walks of life face similar struggles with feeling invisible. Are door-slamming scenes inevitable? Not even close.

Try looking at moments of apparent “invisibility” from a spiritual perspective. Look from a God’s-eye view. God is the all-seeing. He is the all-knowing. He never blinks. God perpetually beholds and continuously cherishes His creation in its harmony, and in its unblemished perfection. You, in your true spiritual nature, never drift toward obsolescence, never invite erasure. If anyone holds an outdated view of you, you can prayerfully insist that, when a view doesn’t parallel how the all-knowing knows you, it amounts to nothing at all. There are no other options. The more you know yourself as God knows you, the more misperceptions of you wither. Ultimately, there is no way for you to be mis-known because there is no way for the heavenly Parent to mis-know His own child. Being overlooked by others—and therefore being invisible to them—grows less common with these realizations. Others needn’t be blind to you. You needn’t be blind to others.

When a view doesn’t parallel how the all-knowing knows you, it amounts to nothing at all.