The Visible Woman

Her real name is Susan Storm Richards, but most know her better by her alias: The Invisible Woman.

According to Marvel Comic’s website, this member of the Fantastic Four has powers that allow her to “render herself wholly or partially invisible at will.” 

This could be handy. There are moments when I’d enjoy being invisible. It would be interesting to hear what others say about me when I walk out of a room and perhaps more fun to reek havoc on friends and family members by appearing at will when they least expect me!

But if I’m being honest, I don’t really wish to be invisible. In fact, being invisible can be a disadvantage. 

As a women, wife, mother, and human I can attest that there are times that I feel invisible… but it doesn’t strike me as a super power. Instead, it stings as a frustration.

There are times when my perspective vanishes and I allow my attitude to get out of line. When this happens, I feel like I’m the Invisible Woman. I work hard all day and yet it’s not noticed or recognized by anyone. The tasks I do need to be repeated again and again and my wheels spin in a thankless, exhausting rut. It feels like no one sees what I’m doing or cares about the mundane, but necessary tasks of life that I must accomplish… unless I don’t accomplish something that they want, and then suddenly I’m seen. I feel as if then I’m only seen as a failure.

Am I really invisible? Does no one care? Can anyone take the time to stop for a moment to see me and meet my needs, for once?

I’ve lost sight of the truth about God’s love.

I think a servant girl from the Old Testament can relate. In fact, she was the original Invisible Woman, although Marvel doesn’t acknowledge her on their website.

Hagar was the maidservant of Sarai. Sarai was the barren wife of Abraham who so desperately wanted a child she gave her maidservant to her husband hoping to produce a child through their union. Hagar was a means to an end. She was used. She was not seen as valuable for who she was, only for what she could produce. Once Hagar did, in fact, get pregnant with Abraham’s child she was mistreated by Sarai and despised. Then she ran away.

Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.  And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her. (Genesis 16:6-9)

The angel of Lord proceeded to give Hagar a prophecy about her unborn son. He spoke to this maidservant. He not only saw this seemingly invisible woman, He also knew her circumstances and spoke directly to her.

Hagar’s response?

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)

For the first recorded time in the Old Testament, God is addressed at El Roi; “The God who sees me.” Hagar finally felt as if someone cared for and saw her.

How great is God’s love for each and every one. While we become consumed with our lives, our selves, and our tasks, we lose sight of the truth about God’s powerful love.

But His love requires obedience on our end too. God told Hagar to go back to her mistress and submit to her. It may sound harsh, but by doing so God was giving her a way to be cared for and for his prophecy to be carried out to completion.  I love how this command is worded in the Young’s Literal Translation.

Turn back unto thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hands;

God offered Hagar His great mercy and love. She just had to humble herself to receive it.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;

Because of the Lord’s great love. Not because we’ve worked so hard. Not because we are superwomen. Not because of anything we have done. But because of the Lord’s great love.

We don’t have the super power. He does.

I’m not invisible. El Roi sees me. He knows me. He made me. He cares about me. He loves me.

I simply need to humble myself under His merciful and loving hands. By obeying God’s Word and trusting in His never failing compassions I regain my focus on the Truth.

I become The Visible Woman, with the power “to render myself wholly valuable and unconditionally loved by the God who see me.”

Take that, Susan Storm Richards!