Nothing is Hidden

Grandma's House

It was 1983.

I sat in the back row, considering my options. The door was a few short feet away; no one would notice. 

I was 16. This was band class.

Home life was hard, but whose isn't, right?

The following year, I moved in with my grandmother. I changed schools my senior year of high school, tossed any hope of medical school for the peace and isolation of country life in the little-known town of Alaska, Michigan.

This town was so small that there weren't any corner stores for at least a mile. But there was a beautiful little park I loved to visit. The best part of moving to this side of the state was that my grandma didn't get out to church much anymore, and she lived too far from hers to have anyone bother me about visiting.

Alaska, MI

What I never anticipated was the day that she would feel well enough to venture out. My aunt woke me and asked whether I would go with them to church.

And of course, no one says "No" to Grandma. 😁

A second, more life-changing surprise occurred at the end of that service. The God I'd been giving the silent treatment to met me in the back seat of the sanctuary. 

He not only met me there, but he also showed me that he saw every hidden and dark wound I carried.

He saw it all.

Right or wrong. Good or bad. He knew. And yet, He still met me in that seat, calming, healing, arms open, inviting me to welcome Him into my life.

How could a perfect God love me like that?

Fast forward to now.

I have spent the past decades learning that there is only one thing I love more than my family.

The presence of God in my life.

This isn't the first time He's shown up for someone in need.

Alaska, MI

When Abraham and Sarah struggled with infertility, she told him to take her Egyptian slave, Hagar, and have a child through her. Later, when Hagar realized she was pregnant, she treated Sarah with disdain. Sarah blamed Abraham, then, with his permission, she treated Hagar harshly until she fled.

So Abram said to Sarai, "Indeed, your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence (Genesis 16:6 NKJV).

In the wilderness, Hagar was visited by an Angel of the LORD who told her she would have a son, and also showed her to a stream of water (Genesis 16: 7). 

Her response?

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the_God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?" Therefore, the well was called Beer Lahai Roi ... (Genesis 16:13-14a NKJV).

She realized with Whom she had communicated, and was comforted that He saw her. 

It's been 42 years since that day in the back row. I have seen trauma, loved ones have fought cancer, and ended their battle when called home to heaven. 

But it's not the big events that trip us up, is it? When my daughter was born needing major surgery at 24-hrs old, I knew I could trust the God who formed her at conception. She was (and still is) His idea. He'll take care of her. When my husband lay in the ICU near death, I could hear the Lord clearly speaking to my heart that He was with me.

But it's the little things. Those moments that seem insignificant in the beginning, I have also navigated the much smaller trials. As a teenager, I lived in a home with a leaky roof. We would place our pots on the floor around the living room to catch the raindrops. Initially, we heard the ping-ping of each drip. Eventually, though, that ping-ping sounded more like a plop. One drop didn't amount to anything, but as the drops collected in the one pot, we would soon pour enough down the drain that could've been boiled for macaroni & cheese dinner.

North Carolina Outer Banks 2025

And this is how the little things build. One drip at a time until gallons have gathered into one place. 

These events can do one of two things:

1. Slosh over and create a mess.

2. Be diverted to water the grass.

It's in how we choose to focus. It's in whether we will clean the lens of our vision and see that God is still with us even in the drizzling, annoying, life-hindering rain and that He has a clearer understanding of where we are headed than we do.

He is with us. He sees our struggles. He is there when we triumph. 

Recently, I have been reminded of this. He saw me in the back row, considering whether anyone would notice.

And He sees you too.

Nothing has escaped His notice, and He always "helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified" (Romans 8:26-29 ESV). 

North Carolina Outer Banks 2023

So take heart, my friend. The Lord has not abandoned or forgotten you. He is very much involved, weaving together the most beautiful story of our lives. Our job is to trust Him.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV).

Until next time, lean into His strength and faithfulness. He'll never fail.

Blessings, 💜 Karlene J  💜