It had to weigh at least 60 pounds. 

Just seconds after it hit the ground, a drably dressed pooper-scooper had the honor of shoveling up that steaming pile of elephant dung and removing it from between the circus tents where people were milling around.

It was a hot summer day and I had taken my young children to an outdoor traveling circus show that had set up their tents close to our home.  We had gone to see the sequined trapeze artists; the menagerie of exotic animals; and the overall hustle and bustle of all things Barnum & Bailey.

Yet, here I was, lost in thought as I watched this worker – invisible to most folks that day – as he went about his menial (and smelly) task. 

Before I knew it, I found myself walking towards him to tell him, “Thank you…thank you for what you do here.  Without you, the circus couldn’t go on as smoothly and cleanly as it does!”

The man’s soft eyes welled up with tears as his wrinkled-face smiled back at me.  With a small nod of his head, he acknowledged my compliment and then turned to continue with his work.

If you read through the Gospels, you’ll notice a variety of “invisibles” that Jesus intentionally took the time to notice, value, and connect with.  From the Samaritan woman in John 4 to the tax collector who scurried up a tree to catch a view of the Christ in Luke 19.

Jesus seemed to be acutely aware of those individuals that society shunned, looked down upon, or preferred to blatantly ignore altogether.

We all have a need to be seen, valued, and appreciated.  It’s how we’re made.  Even those folks who aren’t necessarily “lime-light” kind of people crave recognition – just on a more discreet level, perhaps.

Ultimately, we all want to know that we matter.

Who, in your life, just needs to be “seen”? 

Who makes your job at home or at the office “less smelly”? 

Who do you know that seems “invisible” and could use a kind statement or gesture of gratitude today?

As American professor Randy Pausch so aptly put it, “Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”

Until next time, Grace and Glory!