Hagar was a slave and and she was in a mess.
Some of it was her fault, some of it wasn’t. But now she had run away into the wilderness. Pregnant and alone, she waited by a stream to see what might happen. An angel of God appeared and delivered a surprising promise. He told her to return to camp and submit to her mistress.
Hagar was amazed that God would even acknowledge a lowly servant. She called Him “the God who sees me.”
Hagar understood a central truth about God’s character: He’s the God who sees every person equally.
# # #
For the last couple of years I’ve been honored to spend some time with men who are recovering from addiction. I’ve learned more from them than they’ve learned from me, and one of the most important things I’ve learned is the pervasive nature of addiction in society. These guys were always here, but they were invisible to me and to much of my suburban culture. Sadly, I think they’re sort-of invisible in my church.
They’re not invisible to God.
This got me wondering about other sort-of invisible people. The door’s open, nobody’s keeping them out, but they aren’t there. Or they are, but they’re on the edges and it’s clear they aren’t really part of the circle.
Homeless people.
Poor people.
Folks without much education (churches look a LOT like schools).
People whose life doesn’t look like the American dream.
I could go on but you get the idea. Many churches just aren’t all that diverse. Those who don’t fit the profile become invisible. We know they exist, but we don’t see them.
Maybe that’s why Jesus hung out with them. He was tired of the religious leaders looking past them and talking about them as though they weren’t in the room. He made them visible because He was the God who sees.
Invisible people make us uncomfortable. It’s hard for me to admit how often I pretend not to see, but it’s a sad truth.
I can’t change that all at once, and there’s no sense beating myself up. So I try to see one or two a little better and go from there.
I trust that the God who sees will see my heart, and help.
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