Not Invisible

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Posted by Karen Kinnaird, September 25, 2024

It was a hot day in July of 1958 at the Socony Mobil Building in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. A young lady who had just completed secretarial school returned from lunch to her office in this 42-story building, adjacent to Grand Central Station. That’s when he saw her! A handsome young man, also returning from lunch, asked his friend, “She’s cute, why can’t I meet a girl like that?” To their surprise, all three walked into the same building.

It was love at first sight. Several times over the next few days, they exchanged glances in the lobby of the building. He had to meet her! The following day they saw each other again, and he followed her into the elevator. Exiting with her on her floor, he introduced himself and invited her to lunch the next day. She accepted. Four days later, he told her he loved her and proposed a week later. They were married in May of 1959 and enjoyed 62 years of marriage until her death in August of 2021.

This is my parents' love story. Roy, Lyn and baby Karen...

We all long to be seen. We long to be known, valued, and understood.

We long for our own love story.

In Genesis 16, we read about a woman who felt invisible. The Egyptian slave Hagar was sexually used and verbally abused, then driven away by her mistress Sarai. She ran away to a spring in the desert only to have a transformative encounter with God. The fact that God saw and heard her afflictions was so impactful that she named the well You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees. God promised her that she would have a boy, whose name would be Ishmael, meaning God hears. The well-known well of Beer Lahai Roi is believed to be in the Negev region of southern Israel. 

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.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

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.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

El-Roi (El raw-EE) is the Hebrew phrase meaning “the God who sees me.” Not only does He see you, but He knows you, understands you, and values you.

Nothing escapes His notice.

He is deeply intimate and personal. He is the One who numbers the hairs on your head. He knows your past, present, and future. Regardless of your circumstances right now, He sees you right where you are, and He has a good plan for you.

Take comfort in Psalm 121.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

El-Roi, thank you for seeing me. Keep my sight focused on You and not on my circumstances. Fill me with hope and expectation of Your plans for my future. Amen

Karen Kinnaird brings the vast experience of having served as a ministry wife for nearly 40 years. Her husband has served as a church planter, senior pastor, state denominational leader, agency specialist at NAMB, and Associational Missionary Strategist. Karen currently serves as the Executive Assistant for Forgiving Forward, a ministry dedicated to helping people experience the freedom of the Gospel through the power of forgiveness. Karen and Jimmy, also known as Gigi and Poppy, have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.