The Power of Invisibility

You can’t see me standing in front of this tree, can you?

I need an invisibility cloak. I know they’re hard to come by, so I’m adding it to my Christmas list now. That should give Superman plenty of time to locate one, order it, wrap it, and have it under the tree.

I mean, really. He wears a red cape. Why shouldn’t I have a cloak?

I’ve started a list of things I’ll do with my super-cool shroud. I can whip it out when I have an introvert crisis and don’t want to be bothered. I can sneak to the front of the line at the DMV and slip it off when it’s my turn. I can go to the Mexican restaurant with my family and eat all the guacamole and let FJ take the blame.

If I embarrass myself? Bam.

When I forget to start dinner? Pow.

When I accidentally wear two different shoes to work? Zam. Invisible.

I could even become a secret agent and follow the bad guys around, and then fling off my cloak when they’re in the middle of rush-hour traffic and give them the hours-long, you-can’t-go-anywhere-because-you’re-stuck Mom lecture about the importance of good character.

Believe it or not, Ripley, science has actually created several versions of an invisibility cloak. One uses mirrors. Another uses lenses. When placed at just the right angle, these change the direction at which your eye sees light and causes the object behind them to disappear. The problem is, if you move to another angle, you’ll see the object, and the illusion is lost. The Harry-Potter type cloak is still years in the making . . . but it’s coming. Get ready.

Though it’s probably not safe to be truly invisible—people would crash into you and get really mad—it’s not a bad idea to become invisible in spirit. Many of our problems are caused because we want to be seen. We want to be the most beautiful, the most intelligent, the most important. We long for wealth, fame and power, and we treat others like they’re invisible in our climb to reach our goals.

But when we shift things around a bit and actually shine the light on others, miracles happen. We feel better, because all the stress of trying to be “seen” disappears. Others feel better, and their gratitude causes them to treat you with the deference and respect you wanted in the first place.

God’s love acts as an invisibility cloak when we let it. It covers us and deflects the light to Him. When we walk into a room wearing His cloak, people feel cared for. Accepted. Seen.

It’s ironic. When we try to shine, we compete with everyone around us, and no one ever really gets to be in the spotlight. But when we choose to disappear in favor of God’s grace, He gets the glory, and everyone wins. That’s when He often pours out blessings beyond measure. That’s when we finally realize, it doesn’t matter if others recognize us or not.He sees us. He knows our name. And He loves us beyond description.

“He must increase, but I must decrease,” John 3:30.