Invisible this Christmas?

 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 (NIV)

 

Like the swirling snowstorms in my Mid-western town, older siblings with spouses and child in tow whirled in. Our small home surpassed capacity during the holidays. As number seven of eight children, for several days each year I adjusted to being part of a big family. Too young for a family of my own, but too old to be taken care of, sometimes I felt invisible when every one came home.

Sandwiched between the babies and adults, my place in the family seemed obscure when all of us where home. Like all children, I loved the holidays, but sometimes I felt lost in chaos of Christmas.

While I may have at times felt invisible, I never was. God always saw me.

The Bible tells the story of a young girl who possibly felt invisible as well. Hager’s story is found in Genesis 16. An Egyptian maidservant to a woman named Sarai, Hager was young and fertile. Sarai was not. Desperate to have a child, she proposed an idea to her husband, Abram. “If you sleep with my maidservant and she becomes pregnant, I can have a child by her.” (This was the custom at this time.) Abram agreed.

Once Hager became pregnant, the real trouble started! Hager began to think she was better than Sarai because she conceived and Sarai couldn’t. Hager then detested Sarai; looked down on her mistress. These actions angered Sarai, who then blamed Abram and informed him he needed to deal with Hager. What a circle of drama!

Abram continued the blame circle when he passed the responsibility of Hager back to Sarai. Sarai doled out her anger, treating Hager roughly. Hager retreated to the desert.

Out in the middle of nowhere, Hager encountered the angel of the Lord by a fountain. He told “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.” Hager responded, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seenthe One who sees me.” The promise the angel of the Lord delivered reassured Hager. God saw all the pain she was going through and He was there.

Like Hager in the desert and me during hectic holidays, God always sees us and is always with us. More than any other time of the year, we can be thankful that the God who sees me came for me.

Every day in every thing we do, He sees us. Celebrating with holy services and songs or doing duties of dishes and dinners, wherever I am, there He is, seeing me. Aware of all I am a part of. Unlike the scurrying shoppers at the mall, some missing this sacred season, Jesus never misses a thing in my life.

With this truth, I can make a choice to rest. Since He is El Roi – the God who sees, I can be the girl who sees. Looking with expectation and faith for God’s hand, I can trust that He is the God who sees me and like Hager, He is the God who takes care of me.

Jesus, this holy season, like the God baby come to earth, I’ll look for evidence that You see and you care for me. Open my eyes to see evidence all around me; You are the God who sees me. Amen


Do you know a young girl who needs to know she is not invisible to God? In fact, He is crazy about her! “His Revolutionary Love” and “Devotions for a Revolutionary Year” empower her with the truth that she is never invisible; God sees her.

Consider your past 24 hours. Where can you see evidence that God has seen you? That He is caring for you and working on your behalf?

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn

4 Comments

  1. We have an enemy whispering in our ear that we’re of no importance/value, yet our Father sees us as the apple of His eye, we are loved, redeemed, chosen. Our Life Group shared silver ornaments that each lady wrote a one-word description for each other – the words for that spoke most to my heart were ‘confident in His Truth’, peaceful, friendly, thoughtful – what a tender way for God to speak to me through others. Thanks for sharing this truth, especially this time of year when it’s easy to get ‘lost’. This serves as a reminder for me to intentionally reach out to others.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Deb, I think this is one of the most beautiful Christmas ideas I have heard! I want to duplicate it!!

  2. I have a friend who is a great encourager. I see her mainly in the online world, but when I need that confirmation that what I’m doing or saying is important she is there to loudly agree 🙂

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Isn’t it so beautiful how we can receive encouragement in so many ways? How beautiful!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.