Invisible...or Not?

Published: July 26, 2020, midnight

An invisibility cloakthat\u2019s what she needed. Maddie slumped in her seat at the back of the school library. She wished just such a cloak would come out of the fantasy novel she was reading. Anything to help her disappear. Ever since her classmates had found out about her dad\u2019s illness, it seemed like everyone was staring at her with drooping, sympathetic faces. Oh, for the days when life was normalwhen life had seemed unbearably boring: school, homework, bed, repeat. Now life was crowded with casserole- bearing visitors, home health nurses, and, often, an empty housewith all the doctor\u2019s appointments her parents were going to. She stood up and began to browse the shelves, feeling guilty about her resentment about the situation. Especially when Dad had it the hardEsther He didn\u2019t smile the same, and he hardly ever laughed anymore. Neither did Mom. But Maddie knew they were doing their bEsther She had been too, until this morning. Maddie returned to her table, two books in hand. A folded bundle of notebook paper was perched on top of her notebook. She picked it up and glanced around the library. Suddenly, no one was looking at hereveryone seemed engrossed in their books. She sat down and peeled the bundle of papers open. Messages in pen and pencil scrawled across the blue lines: We\u2019re praying for your dad, Maddie! We\u2019re here for you, Maddie! God sees you, and He\u2019s with you. Maddie looked up to see her classmates gathered around, smiling. Maybe she didn\u2019t need that invisibility cloak after all. Susan Holt Simpson Have you ever wished you had an invisibility cloak? When? Reread today\u2019s Bible verses. Why is having community so important? Who can you reach out to when you\u2019re struggling (for example, pastors, teachers, or counselors)? If you have friends facing hard situations, how can you show love to them? He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4 (CSB)\n\xa0\nRead Verses:\n2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Galatians 6:1-10