I must be invisible.
I must be invisible because people don’t see me when I’m running in a neon green shirt, bright blue hat, and reflective fanny pack (I mean, phone holder for running).
I must be invisible because people drive right through crosswalks when I’m waiting to cross.
Yesterday I even tried stepping out farther into the crosswalk. Nope, I was still invisible (and more annoyed than normal).
They don’t see me, even though I’m in plain sight.
They don’t see me, even though they’re looking at me.
They don’t see me, even though the crosswalk is clearly marked.
We read about seeing, noticing, and realizing throughout Scripture. Isaiah prophesied about Israel’s failure to hear and see (Isaiah 42:18-25). Paul wrote about Satan preventing people from seeing the truth of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:1-6).
Peter described having a lack of certain qualities as making someone blind (2 Peter 1:3-11). The Church in Laodicea didn’t realize they were a lukewarm church (Revelation 3:14-22).
Jesus asked why people judge others without examining themselves (Matthew 7:1-5), and He called out hypocrites for being blind to truth (Matthew 23:16-26).
Now, there are times when God prevents us from seeing things (Luke 18:31-34; 24:13-16) and times when He opens our eyes (Luke 24:31; 36-49). Do I understand it? No. Does my lack of understanding matter? No again. Because if God does something, it’s for His glory.
And so I think:
What am I missing around me that’s right in front of me?
What am I just not seeing?
What do I intentionally ignore?
What do I not see in myself?
And maybe, just maybe, that crosswalk will get the signs with blinking lights and the loud, low voice telling cars to stop (confession: sometimes I press the cross button at intersections just to hear him say “Wait!”).
One response to “Crosswalks”
Lovely, thank you. I wasn’t expecting you to turn it around for self examination at the end. But it was needed.