Guest contributor: Heather King
Before our recent move, I headed out into my garden with a trowel so I could transplant my daffodil bulbs. For over a decade, they had multiplied and bloomed spring after spring in my front yard.
Now, I’d carry them to our new home, dig them deep down in fresh dirt, and let them bloom again. This time in new earth.
I transplanted them back in July, but there’s no evidence of that. They’ll remain dormant and unseen through the long winter until we see the first hints of green in February.
Sometimes I need to be reminded how seasons of dormancy, seasons of rest, seasons of being hidden away, aren’t always signs of death. Often, they are the prelude to new life.
The things we struggle most to endure can often birth beautiful things, if we don’t rush them.
Like stepping down from a beloved ministry without knowing when or how God will ask us to step again and we land in this curious in-between.
That waiting time can be uncomfortable, unsettling, even frightening. What if I stop writing and I never write again? What if I never lead, never teach, never speak again? Is God done with me? Has He abandoned me? Have I failed or disappointed Him?
I’m tempted to make my own way, fight what feels like stagnation. I throw myself into busyness to regain productivity and achieve “success.”
Maybe you do the same.
Jesus knew about the in-between. He understood what it was like to balance public ministry with private moments hidden away with His Father. He spent time in the desert. He slipped away for quiet prayer. He stayed behind for some moments alone with God.
As we face days that may feel insignificant, let’s turn away from the busyness that tempts us. Let’s also draw near to God and seek to know Him more than we want to know His plans for us or His ten-year vision for our lives. James tells us,“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8 ESV) and we read in Jeremiah “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV).
Instead of filling the calendar with activity, let’s fill it with extra time in God’s Word, long prayer walks, and quiet in His presence.
Instead of looking for the big, the grand, or the public ministry, let’s choose the small and unnoticed. Take a meal to a friend, pray for a missionary, teach your children, write a note to an overwhelmed mom, or meet a neighbor for coffee (tea for me!)
Ministry always comes down to loving the individual.
Hebrews tells us, “nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” (Hebrews 4:13 NIV). That means you. That means me. Even if we’ve slipped into a season of quiet before Him, He sees us and knows us. He loves us and has not abandoned us.
We can embrace His rest. We can root ourselves deeply in Him and allow Him to do this hidden work now, so that we can bloom in all the colors as He calls us in the future.
How can God use seasons of quiet or “hiddenness” to prepare us for a new work? Comment below for a chance to win a copy of Sara Hagerty’s new release Unseen: The Gift of Being Hidden in a World That Loves to Be Noticed.
Heather King is a busy-but-blessed wife and mom to four and author of Ask Me Anything, Lord: Opening Our Lives to God’s Questions and Anywhere Faith: Overcome Fear, Insecurity and Excuses, and Say Yes to God. She blogs about applying the Bible to everyday life with all of its mess, noise, and busyness at http://heathercking.org/ When she’s not zipping around town in her minivan, you can find her reading good books and sipping a cup of strong, hot tea.
Thankful that God Sees (as Hagar named God in Genesis).
Amen. What a wonderful name to remind us that we are not invisible to Him. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this beautiful reminder. I an in a season of hidden time with the Lord right now. It can be hard to just focus on being with Him and not wondering about those next steps and that vision of the future that seems so far away.
Oh, I am right there with you in so many ways, Julia. I have been challenged recently by whether I want to truly know God or do I mostly want to know His plans/will/vision for me? I’ve been reading Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer and that’s something that the study is confirming for me. My deep heart desire should be to seek Him first and all these other things (knowing those next steps, getting that vision for the future, knowing His will) will come without me straining to know them. I am in process on this one. I hope you find blessing in your own season of hiddenness and come out of this time filled to the brim with His love and affection for you.
Thanks so much for allowing me to share with you today!
Thank you, friend. It’s a joy for us to hear your heart and wisdom and to share.
Wow…thank you, that spoke to my heart. I am in a season of rest. It took me a while to embrase it. I went from being extremely busy & exhausted from the busyness to a complete halt. I started looking for things to do to fill my time but God showed me that He wanted me to spend more time with Him. I am now so grateful for this time of rest He has given me.
Rebecca, that is definitely my go-to! When I have an opportunity to rest, I look to see what I can add onto the schedule to fill that space. That’s definitely not God’s best for us and I love how you’ve found His true heart—to spend more time with Him and embrace the rest He has given you. Well said!
We are in a season of waiting as my husband’s job is in transition. Are we moving, are we staying, is the position different? God is faithful and these times of waiting are times of His mighty power and blessings. He will provide!
Yes, He is so faithful! I often feel like the “not knowing” is so much harder than the knowing ever is, but that’s when we hold to those promises. He will indeed provide!
Heather, you have done it again! Your beautiful writings are so inspirational and I am always blessed by them. The Lord is the center of my life as I am entering the last phase. Sometimes young women live as if life will go on and on, but we know that only happens if they accept our Lord as their Savior and live forever with Him in Heaven. My prayer is that they will find and accept Him and get to live the wonderful life He has planned for us. Thank you for your gentle reminders.
It does help so much to have that eternal perspective once we accept Him as Savior and trust Him with our future! Thank you for visiting and sharing, dear Patricia!
I find myself in that space between moments of upheaval and noise unbelievable to being able to hear a flea jumping onto it’s next victim! Having my kids living close and one whose autistic living with us and six grandchildren who I watch along with the older ones friends can be as crazy as climbing in and riding one of those terrifying roller coaster rides! I am trying to discern the voice of God and not mine or others in where he wants me to be! Along with shredding my endless blanket of guilt and move freely into Gods presence without questioning my decision or seeking blame for that blanket. Thank you for giving life to words and stirring my imagination into new positive emotions and thoughts!
I love how you described shredding that blanket of guilt and trading it in for freedom in Him!! It does sound like life is loud and busy for you, but His presence sustains. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
So love these words about being in the unseen moments. So much of life is in the unseen, and yet the impact we have is anchored in those unseen moments. Thank you for your words of encouragement to continue to choose the unseen and seemingly small things.