Invisible

Have you ever been invisible? Have you ever felt as if someone was looking through you instead of at you; as if you didn't matte? Store clerks and waitresses know this feeling. So do parents, spouses, the homeless and those who are ill. We're taught to think of invisible people as being marginalized, ignored, abused, impoverished, victimized....nobodies. Perhaps you think I'm going to suggest that you not treat people as if they are invisible.
It's a good message and if you need to hear it consider it said, but that isn't the direction this is headed. In Mark 9:35b, Jesus told his disciples, "if anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." Servants are invisible people, which means that leaders should also be invisible people.
There are a couple ways that we can be said to be invisible. The first is to simply not be seen. This is the same sort of invisibility that was described in the first paragraph. The second way is to be hidden by what is visible. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) This is what Paul talked about when he said, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20) It is as we become more invisible that Jesus becomes more visible in our lives.
Another way to think of this second sort of invisibility is to consider what the Bible says should be visible instead - the things we put on: the armor of light (Romans 13:12), the imperishable and the immortal (I Corinthians 15:53-53), the new self (Ephesians 4:2 and Colossians 3:10), the full armor (truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Spirit - Ephesians 6:10-20), a heart of compassion (Colossians 3:12), love (Colossians 3:14), faith, love and hope of salvation (I Thessalonians 5:18) and above all, Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14).
Professor Dallas Willard expressed a good approach to invisibility: "I am learning from Jesus how to live my life as he would live my life if he were I. I am not necessarily learning to do everything that he did, but I am learning how to do everything I do in the manner that he did all that he did."
There is one final question to consider. Why is God invisible? We've been told that God said, "But, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20) Think about it. If the sight of God's face is enough to end our sin-damaged lives then He is protecting you by remaining invisible. He's not arbitrarily hiding Himself or withholding Himself from you. He's not invisible so that He can better catch you doing something wrong. He's not playing games or demanding that you jump through hoops of faith just for His amusement. He's making your life possible. He's approaching you in the most personal - perhaps the only - way He can. It is God's love that hides God from you. He would rather remain with you unseen than to be visible but alone.