Invisible People

Matthew 25:40 "...whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me..."

There are invisible people all around us. These are not a real version of a character in an H. G. Wells novel; they are real people. They are the people we see every day but not really. We run into them in stores and restaurants. They are in the places and offices where we work. We see them around our houses, or apartments, or condos. They are there and yet we don't see them except as part of the fixtures and functions. Who are they?

They are the people who serve us and help us. They are the person who checks out your purchase at the grocery store or puts the items in the bags and carries them to your car. They take your order at the restaurant and bring your food to the table. When you go to the restroom at work, you will see them cleaning up after you and your co-workers. If you live in a housing complex like a condo or set of townhouses, they take care of the landscape.

If you can see them, then why do I say they are invisible? Because you look at them as just part of the scenary. Do you look at the nametag of the grocery checker and greet her or him by name? When the server at the restaurant comes up and says, "Hi, my name is Mary (or John) and I will be your server today", how long does it take you to not only forget the name but even what she or he looked like? Maybe that restroom attendant has a name and would like to be noticed and appreciated for a job that most of us would not like to have.

We have all heard of the rich, the famous, and the infamous. It is those others who occupy the background of life who are also there with us. The really wonderful thing is that Jesus isn't interested in our bank balance, he is there for all of us, the highest and the lowest, the very wealthy and the homeless. It is how we live this life that counts, not the counting of the dollars and diamonds. It is how we spend the gift of this lfe, not how much we spend. Remember the lesson of the pharisee and the publican. It was the publican who stayed at the back of the temple, hiding in the shadows because he felt unworthy, who went away justified, and not the pharisee who went up front glorifying himself.

What are you doing with God's gifts? God has given us the gift of seeing the other people around us. How are you using it? Do you see the lowly as well as the highborn? Do you see God in the least of us? He is there, trust me. It is up to you to treat the janitor as if he were Jesus...he just might be.