Invisible

Have you ever felt invisible to someone?  This recently happened to me and it really got me thinking while I was lying awake in bed.  As I was talking with God I became frustrated, not with the people to whom I seemed invisible, but frustrated with myself for even caring.  You see, people seeing or not seeing me shouldn't matter, in the grand scheme of things it really shouldn't.  Instead, I began arguing with myself about the Truth...and the Truth is, I'm not invisible to God.  The Creator of the universe sees me, all of me, good, bad, and the ugly, and He still chose to die on the cross because He sees me.

Used in a talk with the young people Summer Fused 2011

 It really hit me then and there that what I experienced is the world in which the young people we work with deal with on a daily basis.  A few months back one of the other volunteers and I were coming home from a different program, not associated with Kairos, but still working with young people.  We were heading back to my house so we decided to call a taxi.  As we entered the car, the driver asked what we were doing and we explained that we were running a program for the young people of the churches in the area.  Upon hearing this he asked if we had heard about The Kairos Centre and the work they did with the disadvantaged young people in the surrounding estates.  We gave each other this look of Just answer 'yes' so we can see what he honestly thinks about it.  So of course we said we had heard of it.  He went on to tell us how so many people will slag that place and the volunteers off, yet those are the same people who write off the young people in their communities.  He spoke of how he appreciates the work being done with the young people up in the Kairos because he can see a difference within the youth of his community and he appreciates that someone is taking the time to pour into their lives rather than complain and sit idly back doing nothing.

Joanna speaking with the young people on a Thursday night

Now back to feeling invisible.  My hope, my prayer, my desire is that the young people that venture into the Kairos and into relationships with the volunteers are not only seen, but they know they are seen and not invisible, to us or God.  We have had talks on Thursday nights on a regular basis this past year in hopes that this will arouse questions amongst the young people in their own lives and spiritual walks.  We have been very open to tell them that why we're here is not because we want to be seen as "do gooders" in society, but because we want them to know the Creator of the universe who loved us enough to sacrifice His Son to redeem us back to Himself.

The beauty of nature in Newcastle shouts His praise...it's breathtaking!

Please pray that the young people we encounter know they are loved by the King and His servants that volunteer at the Kairos.  Pray God bring about opportunities in conversations to talk with them about Christ and give the volunteers wisdom and discernment when answering questions and knowing when to speak and when to stay silent and simply listen to the hearts of the young people.

This is a Mark Driscoll Sermon, but what I pray we grasp and that the young people come to understand is the last bit from 54:51-56:40.  Please take the time to find that section of the sermon (of course listening to the whole thing is quite beneficial as well), but this brought me to my knees in tears and I pray it has the same impact on your heart as well.  I feel that when we truly grasp this reality of Jesus, we won't be able to do anything but share it with the world.
Do you think Jesus knows what it's like?