“After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. … When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.’ ‘Why were you searching for me?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.” (Luke 2:43, 48-50).
We all have them.
Hidden seasons.
Times in life when we feel closeted away in anonymity from the rest of world. Perhaps by choice. Perhaps by circumstance. Perhaps through the purposeful intent of another. Perhaps by God. Regardless of the reason behind our hidden estate, once there, it’s easy to find our lament for such a seemingly insignificant season. Rather than embracing the quiet and trust of hidden moments, we cry out for the noise and clamor of the stage.
I know. I’ve lived it. I’ve cried it, but rarely have I embraced it.
Jesus knew what it was to live in anonymity. He spent most of his life behind the shadows of a curtain that wouldn’t fully rise until he was thirty years of age. We only have a few snapshots of his early years. One of those photographs occurred at the temple when he was twelve years old.
The Gospel of Luke, chapter two, paints a master portrait of hide and seek.
One hiding…seeking his Divine.
One seeking…in search of her divinely Hidden.
Son seeking Father. Mother seeking Son, and at the end of the day, both discovering that hidden moments are often the occasion for God’s sacred shaping…for being about the business of the extraordinary rather than settling for the ordinary. It’s a discovery that I am learning.
It doesn’t always make sense to me…these past forty-two years of living that have walked more anonymous than not. There have been moments of clarity along the way—times when I’ve seen God’s hand in my hiddenness. But most days, I feel lost…unsure as to what I am supposed to be doing with it all—with these gifts and promises that I have been granted by the gracious grace of a Father’s love.
I want to relinquish my will to my daily portion, but so often my will cries out for something different. For more. For quicker access to the stage and for bigger accomplishments in God’s kingdom agenda. I want to bypass the shaping and get on with the fruit bearing. I want the harvest without the process of the seeding and the waiting. I want to be my Father’s go-to girl, but rarely do I get the green light.
This is the often and familiar ache of my heart. I have a hunch that some of you are feeling it also.
Good news.
Jesus perfectly understands such a hunger. He lived it.
Good news again.
Jesus has given us a window into understanding our hidden seasons by using the pen of a woman named Alicia Britt Chole to spotlight his.
A couple of years ago, I came across her book, Anonymous: Jesus’ Hidden Years and Yours. The title struck a deep chord within me, and I immediately ordered the book. Since then, I’ve read and re-read the book several times over. Imagine my joy when I learned that Alicia was adding a Bible study guide to her book along with DVD teaching segments! I received the news just about the time I was making a decision regarding our church’s upcoming Fall Bible study. Sight unseen, I ordered the study and am delighted to bring her heart’s stirring to my Tuesday night gals. We are on board to begin mid-September.
Alicia is one of the finest authors/speakers of our modern-day era. She doesn’t waste a word, and she doesn’t intend for us to stay as we are. She intends for us to draw deeper into our pondering and understanding of Jesus. She’s a genuine and passionate pursuer of the Truth. She makes me want to be a better…
Writer.
Thinker.
Mother.
Seeker.
She’s not the usual or the ordinary, although she would probably beg to differ. She’s better. She’s real, and that is why I am delighted to share in her ministry by telling you about her giftings.
A couple of weeks ago, Susan sent me a surprise in the mail. She had recently been at one of Alicia’s speaking engagements. She knew of my fondness for Alicia’s work and promptly purchased a copy of Anonymous for my collection. When Alicia commented to her that I already had the book, Susan simply said, “I know. I just think Elaine would love to have a signed copy.”
Guess what?
I do, and inside the book Alicia simply, yet beautifully challenges me to “Be still and grow.”
That, in essence, is the message of Anonymous. Being still in the silence and growing in the sacred shaping of a Savior. I love this study, friends. God has used Alicia’s tender obedience in penning her thoughts to change my perspective about my seasons of silence and anonymity. I will close by offering you a few of Alicia’s words…
“As with a child in the womb and a seed in the ground, God’s unanticipated move of hiding Jesus granted him protected, undisturbed room to be and become. From God’s perspective, anonymous seasons are sacred spaces. They are quite literally formative; to be rested in, not rushed through—and most definitely never to be regretted. Unapplauded, but not unproductive: hidden years are the surprising birthplace of true spiritual greatness.”[i]
I hope that you will all take the time to visit Alicia at her website and blog. Her resource room is full of valuable materials and free downloads that are worthy of your every consideration. One disclaimer in the matter…
If you’re after fluff, take a pass. You won’t find it with Alicia. She’s after our transformation through the power of God’s Word and his abiding Spirit. It is what I am after, and I want it for you, too. Thus, for those who leave a comment on this post and on any others that follow this week, I will enter your name to win a copy of Alicia’s book. The winner will be announced on Monday.
As always,
~elaine
[i] Alicia Britt Chole, Anonymous (Franklin: Integrity Publishers, 2006), 13.
Didn’t they do a fine job at guest blogging? I may be out of a job! Thank you for your many kind and heart-felt comments. You are the best blogging friends ever! Shalom.