I always reflect on my sermons after worship. And in my reflection on last Sunday’s sermon on the invisible man, it occurred to me that I missed the opportunity of reminding us that when we consistently miss the blessing of seeing the invisible man, we lose the gift of making the kind of impact that we want to see. But in so far as we endeavor to make the invisible visible, we recognize not only the sense of gratitude into which we are grounded, but we develop within us the capacity to always be on the lookout for the invisible man or woman.

Part of my thoughts arose from the fact that I was once an invisible man who literally appeared on the doorsteps of All Saints Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on a winter Sunday morning. I didn’t know anyone at the church; I hadn’t been to that church before. I didn’t even know such a church existed until I found it on Google.

The Rector at the time was Geoffrey Hoare. An energetic priest who was full of life, wisdom and wit. When I introduced myself to him, he invited me to call his office and make an appointment to see him. And I did. He would eventually encourage me to apply to Emory University. The remarkable part of my story with him is that not only did he see me, but he made an impact in my life. His was one who changed the trajectory of my life in the United States. His impact on my life is huge, and there’s no way that I could ever repay him.

This is the exciting part. His embrace of me, and the church’s embrace of me, led to a new ministry where the church supported African priests who were studying in the Atlanta area. The ministry is still ongoing.

It only takes one person, one moment, one conversation, 10 seconds of your time and mine to see someone, make them come alive and shed light on their unique story. The ripple effect of such acts is incalculable because they are always life-giving.

I heard a story about Leonard Hayes, a city bus driver in Cleveland who passed away peacefully in his sleep. Leonard didn’t have any family and didn’t have any children - just a faded apartment and 40 years of driving bus route 43. His co-workers didn’t expect anyone at the funeral. A few drivers were present to show their respect. But when they arrived at the cemetery, they couldn’t believe that they saw - tons and tons of people. They were neither family nor workers; they were passengers.

There was a woman with a stroller, a high school kid, an elderly man with a walker, and many people from all walks of life. But one after the other, they came up to the gravesite and shared their thoughts about Mr. Hayes. One said, ‘He always waited the extra 10 seconds when he saw me running.’ Another said, ‘He learned my name, every morning he would greet me, good morning, Mrs. Riveira.’ Another said, ‘I once told him I had a job interview-he prayed for me. The next day, he remembered and asked me how it went.’ Another also said, ‘I was invisible to most people, but not to him.’ Leonard made people feel seen, and that, my friend, is the most powerful thing any person can do. You can never tell what the 10 extra seconds can do for someone.

Leonard didn’t see himself only as a bus driver, but also as more than that. He saw himself as someone who had the capacity to bring a ray of sunshine into the lives of those he saw on his bus. And the fact is, we can never tell what people may be going through.

A few weeks ago, I heard the unfortunate story that Geoffrey’s wife is battling cancer, and that she has a page on Caring Bridge website. I quickly signed up to offer my prayers and to follow her progress. She’s making good progress, and we thank God for the healing mercies.

What I found to be mind-blowing was that she has had close to 40,000 visits on her page. Some people offered words of encouragement, some offered prayer and some emojis. Who are these people and why do they care so much about her that they would want to follow her story and offer a prayer for her? I asked myself.

I am sure they are friendships that both Geoffrey and Sage developed and nurtured along the way. Some of these may be people they met in the many congregations that they faithfully served. Some of these people may be people neither of them may have met but feel intrigued by their story. Some of these people may be strangers like me for whom they were willing to offer 10 seconds of their time and expected nothing in return-just the pure joy of being instruments of God’s grace.

Yesterday, Geoffrey updated their post about the surgery that Sage had. It was a successful surgery, and the doctor shared the good news that there’s no cancer in her body. I was elated and gave thanks to God for all of God’s miraculous healing in our lives. At the end of his post was the Optimist Creed and a subtitle - Promise Yourself, which isn’t part of the creed, but I believe sums up his thoughts and where he is at this moment of his life, and that of Sage.

The reality is that one cannot be in this kind of situation without being optimistic. Without knowing the situation in which you find yourself, I share the creed with you, hoping that you also may be encouraged by it, renewed by it, and energized by it. Here’s the creed:

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

In the big scheme of things, 10 seconds of your time wouldn’t cost you that much. And so, I invite you to consider the life-affirming opportunities available to you if you could spare 10 seconds of your time to touch a life, listen, and see.

It’s never been lost on me that it takes a spirit of gratitude to see the other, and to make another visible is also an expression of gratitude.

Grateful for all that we are, grateful for what we have, grateful for what we can see, and grateful for all the gifts we can offer. 

Manny+