“He [God] hid me so that I would find Him in the hiddenness. So I would come back to my roots, so I would see His eyes on me in the hiding.”- Sara Hagerty
In Chapter 3 (“Open Hands: Living a Story We Had Not Planned”) of Unseen, Sara Hagerty talks about God’s winterizing. Just as trees don’t produce fruit in winter, we experience times of fruitlessness. Yet, it’s not God’s intention to leave us fruitless. As Sara notes, God loves fruit. Therefore, God hides us so we find Him in the hiddenness. Winter gives birth to spring.
At times we’re unproductive or our greatest feats of productivity leave us empty. However, those times provide the opportunity for us to grow hungrier for something more than we can possibly accomplish with our own hands and drive. Thus, Sara observes, God hides you to :
- show you His kind eyes toward you – gentler than the taskmaster you are to yourself
- tell you your story – to remind you of Himself, the author of your story
Although we each possess a human version of our story, God’s authored a far richer version. God layers His deeper version with purpose. And His version stretches far beyond what we can see or our minds construct.
But, often our plans need dormancy. Our plans need a winter – and at times many winters – to rest. As we rest, we get caught up in God’s seeing us in our unseen moments. And when God breathes the warmth of new plans into us, we actually desire those plans.
In conclusion, Sara describes letting God write your story:
“This is the invitation God offers in the winters of my soul. An invitation to trust that my story is His story. And if I let Him winterize me, He will deepen my roots and help me to stretch my branches toward Him – for my good and His glory.”
Today’s question: How has God orchestrated your life to find Him in the hiddenness? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Hearts that grow in God – unshakable”
