The Invisible Man

James 1:23-24

23 Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror 24 and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like.

Have you ever heard medical stories of people who have amnesia and forget what they look like? Have you ever heard tales of someone who looks in the mirror but can't see their own image? Does the story, "The Invisible Man" ring a bell? James, the brother of Jesus addressed Jewish Christians regarding their ability to act on the Word of God. If one receives the word week after week, yet in no way acts upon what is heard, then it falls to the ground. But James uses the depiction of someone who forgets what they look like. Why? Just as the Jewish Christians, we live in a time where it's so easy to to get caught up in what society thinks that we forget who we are. Forgetting what you look like is like forgetting who you are. Forgetting the Word of God that was to be planted within you is like trying to plant seed on top of a rock. So if one knows who they are when receiving the word wherever it may be heard whether it's in the company of other believers at a worship service, T.V., radio or even online but as soon as the message is over, if one does not reflect, then they will appear as invisible to the rest of the world.

We are called to stand out from the crowd and to be a light that others can follow. How can we do that when we are invisible? If we are not able to reflect, absorb and act on the word, then we blend in so much that we can't even see who we really are in God's eyes.