“God was winterizing me. His intention wasn’t to leave me fruitless – God loves fruit. He 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.” – Unseen pg. 55
Isn’t it amazing how God uses some of the most difficult things, moments, circumstances in our lives to draw us closer to Him? I can even look back and see how He prepared me for an upcoming hardship and led me through it with such care. It’s in these moments that we grow the most, that He reminds us again of who He is and who we are in Him. “God hides me to show me His kind eyes toward me – gentler than the taskmaster I am toward myself (we are hardest on ourselves). And He hides me to tell me my story – to remind me of Himself, the author. It is the greatest story my skin will ever know – God, in me, radiating through me, making glory for Him on the earth. – Unseen, pg 56
Mary was so in love with Jesus, she understood that He loved her and saw her like no one else did or would. He sees us, friends, in all of our mess and weakness and He desires to help us know Him and His precious love for us. He wants to deepen our roots in Him so we will rely on Him when the hard things come.
As I was studying the For Your Own Pursuit scriptures I found great comfort in John 11, it’s the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Two things I want to draw attention to, even though there are many things to glean here. Verse 4, “But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Everything points to the glory of God, all things, everything we go through, for His Glory! I think if we would keep that the forefront of our minds our perspective would change. God has a greater plan than we can ever imagine or comprehend. Next, Martha, verse 5 “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” We are all striving to be a Mary, to love Jesus so extravagantly but face it…most, some, ok…me, I am usually a Martha in the context of working and doing but this verse tells me that He loves me so much even in spite of my doings. Now Jesus loved Martha, He loved her just as much as He did Mary and Lazarus. His love for us doesn’t change because of what we do, we cannot earn His love, we cannot work hard enough to gain His attention. What grace! One more thing about this passage and Martha, Martha’s faith – verse 22 “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you” She had faith that Jesus was who He said He was even if she didn’t understand what all that would mean (raising her brother from the dead!)
At the end of the day, I long to be like a Mary, loving Jesus so beautifully, wastefully. But really, I just want to love Him like Christy…a Christy that would lay her life at His feet, would have strong faith in who He is, who would waste herself and everything she is just to be known, loved and hidden in Him. He has given each of us a story, and just as Mary’s story would be told through the ages because she so deeply loved Him, I desire my life would reflect who He is and that people would know I loved Jesus more than anything. But most of all that I would love and know Him more. “He hides me to tell me my story – to remind me of Himself, the Author.” – Sara H.
Christy Hoagland 