When it feels like no one sees you…

Ever felt a bit invisible? Ever wondered if anyone ever notices all you do?

It is so hard to not crave recognition for all the hard work we do day in and day out. It is especially hard to feel unnoticed in our efforts to serve the Lord by serving and loving people.

When I have had an especially hard day sometimes all I desire is for someone to pat me on the back and say, “Good job. I saw you. I noticed your sacrifices, your serving, your biting your tongue when you wanted to lash out at that person who wronged you…  Good job not complaining when you had to do that one thing you despised doing yet again… I saw you.”

I don’t know about you, but it is so hard for me to not try to point others’ attention to what I do either blatantly (often by complaining about all the sacrifices I made totally negating the humility I was trying to walk in) or in a more passive aggressive way.

Jesus encourages us, however, to embrace the times when no one sees the ways we try to honor Him in our lives. In fact, He even suggests that we try to do it in secret so that the One who sees all that no one else notices will reward us greatly.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4

Sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it?! We live in a culture that tells us we deserve to be recognized here and now.

The truth is we serve a God who is not blind nor does He sleep. He sees us!  He sees the ways we stumble along, trying to serve Him and follow His Son, and He delights in us!

He longs for us to look to Him for our reward. He knows that we need reward, but He knows the rewards of this age will fade and wither just like the grasses in the field (and if you saw the brown grasses up here in Northern California in this 115 degree heat, you would agree we want something that lasts longer than grass).

Know that when no one else sees you, He sees you.  He notices all the turnings of your heart towards loving others and loving Him. He notices all the little things and the big things and He is so pleased with you.

And He says, “Good job. I see you. I see YOU.”

Are you like me and struggle with feeling invisible at times?