Belonging and Mental HealthSample

Feeling Invisible and the God Who Sees Me

A new friend of mine started coming to our church recently. While in prison, he made a promise to God that if he got parole, he would attend church. His parole conditions require him to wear an ankle bracelet, and his every move needs to be approved. In some countries, this parole program has been discontinued because it is considered too inhumane.

My friend is hardly invisible. But feelings of invisibility are rarely about our physicality. In my friend’s case, childhood trauma and several prison stints have left terrible wounds. For many who live with mental health challenges, and certainly for those whose lives have been as complex as his, the belief that they will never belong is persistent. Ultimately, feeling invisible is a state of the heart, occurring when shame impacts the core of one’s self-worth and identity.

He could barely sit through church the first week. Shame is toxic, and all he wanted to do was run out and get drunk again. But he managed to stay and made time to meet with our pastor. He brought his parole files and criminal record, expecting to be asked never to return. What he found was the love of God and a community where he is seen for the wonderful man he is.

The story of Hagar resonates with everyone. For those of us who struggle with mental health challenges, exclusion can be more harmful than the symptoms of our illnesses. “Being seen” and belonging to a community where we are loved and accepted is such a gift.

Unnamed in my own household;

servant, foreigner, second class, second rate.

A story of exclusion;

quite simply a pawn

in the purposes and plans of my mistress.

Taken or given

it matters not;

inconsequential

mistreated, discarded;

not entirely innocent, mind you;

and finally forced to flee

mine is a story without a future.

Or so it would seem.

My story is also one of encounter.

Addressed by name and

drawn into a conversation

that promises that I, too

am part of a much greater

future than I could ever envisage.

My son will know freedom.

I call him the God who sees me,

and I know he looks after me.

Reflection Question: What can you do to help people in your community feel seen?

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that my past will never disqualify me from your love or your purposes for my life. Help me to see myself the same way that you see me today. Amen.

(Written by Jonathan Browning.)