The Awakening Series: Being Hidden
Until a race is over, you can't tell whose won..
Hey everyone!! ♥️ Welcome to a new week, I hope you’ve all been well. Before I get into today’s newsletter, I have to say a huge welcome to everyone new here! I’ve noticed a couple of new faces here and it’s so lovely to have you here. Thank you for your sharing your takeaways and encouraging messages on my last series and newsletter on retreats, I’m so glad they’ve met you where you are. Let’s get into today’s newsletter.
But first — here’s a word of encouragement for you:
Until a race is over, you can’t tell whose won. This was a simple yet profound statement my aunt said to me over the past week and I’ve been pondering on it ever since. You may find yourself in a space that seems to be a contradiction of what you believe you are destined for, but I want to remind you that your race has hardly begun. In the middle of a race can come uncertainty. Will you win? Do you have the willpower to continue? When others are ahead, how will you catch up and finish well? All these questions, but one resolve — don’t allow the middle write off how you believe you will finish. It can be hard when you find yourself in unfavourable situations and there seems to be no way out, but better is the end of a thing than its beginning. One of my favourite stories in Bible is Joseph’s. This was someone who knew he was destined to lead in such a mighty way. His brothers had sold him into slavery and thought they had seen the end of him. Yet God used turned Joseph’s circumstance around. What may seem like a setback could secretly be a set-up God uses in your favour. Going through detours doesn’t mean the end goal will not be fulfilled, the how may just be different. Time can always be restored regardless of where we find ourselves.
🎙️Unpacking with Lessons in Seasons:
📚Rhieme Recommends:
Book: ‘The Art of Being Private: Building in Silence by Dephne Madyara. I read this book about two years ago and it was truly a game changer. The author speaks on the importance of privacy and understanding how to build in silence.
The Awakening Series — Being Hidden
🗞️ Mini Recap — The Awakening Series: In case you missed it, I’m currently writing a new series titled ‘The Awakening’. This series is dedicated to those who are coming to an awareness of who they are, the potential they have but it also intersects with the importance of understanding the realities our journeys.
In my last newsletter, I shared on the importance of waiting and how to navigate phases where we are aware of our potential yet it may not be time to execute. If you missed it, catch up here.
Purposefully Covered
Today we’ll be speaking on navigating seasons of hiddeness. But first, what does it mean to be hidden? Hiddeness can be defined as being obscure and covered. Although sometimes when we think of this it may be in a negative light, I’d like to share a different perspective with you. There’s a process of isolation, quiet, incubation, you name it, that is necessary we pass through. Whether it be our projects, ourselves as people etc, we all need a time when we are not seen by others. I’ve mentioned this a couple of times, but there is truly beauty in the background. The times when we are not seen or noticed by people are instrumental to our becoming and it is what will sustain us and cause us to be people who last in those rooms. It’s the time where we can make mistakes and there isn’t the fear of harsh criticism. It’s where our voices develop, we begin to have an understanding of who we are outside of the noise etc. We can restructure, restrategise, plan and so on —it’s time dedicated to the process and being processed.
So why do we feel uncomfortable with obscurity? Why do we sometimes find ourselves in a constant wrestle between the need to be seen versus being content even when no one acknowledges us? Everyone desires to be appreciated and acknowledged, but it’s important we don’t become so fixated on this and push ourselves into spaces that we are not prepared for in a bid to be seen or even feed insecurities we may have further. There is purpose in covering. I see God covering us as a sign of his love. This covering could look like purposely not allowing us to have visibility, the numbers etc despite our effort because it is part of the process we need to go through to be adequately built up. Time and time again, we see it in scriptures people were placed in the wilderness before they commenced their work publicly. For some like Joseph, this looked like starting of in slavery, for others like John he grew up in the wilderness.
Navigating Obscurity
“John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.”
Luke 1:80 NLT
What stands out to me in verse above is how John became strong and grew before he commenced his ministry— there was a process of being built up internally before anything public. Our foundations need to be solid and strong as everything we build thereafter will only last if we have laid appropriate foundations. I know it could be hard feeling as though you are on the sidelines and wanting to fulfill your potential. But remember ultimately, it is not about how fast, but how well we run our races. You are not behind in life because your life is unravelling on a different timeline than you had anticipated. Often times our lives may begin looking far from the promise, nonetheless, we will be beautified through the process and come forth as gold. Click on this to listen to the story of a founder in the beauty industry who shared more on how she navigates this.
One of my favourite verses is
Isaiah 49:2 “ He has made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me. He had made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver” . It reminds me that God covering me, is ultimately for my good and I hope it serves as this for you too. ♥️
Protecting Your Seed
The quote above is so profound, but I want to draw emphasis to the phrase ‘Don’t always be in the mood to announce everything God is doing in your life, sometimes let Him announce you.’ At a time where it can be easy to want to share all parts with yourself with the world to show you have something to offer, can we choose to submit to the work that is taking place silently without feeling the constant need to show it? Often times we don’t realise that because we want to show we have things going for us, we have a tendency to share prematurely. This could be due to the need for validation, affirmation and general encouragment. But we all need to get to a point where even if nobody gave us their stamp of approval, we would still proceed with what is in our hands knowing that God’s approval is more than enough. We as people do not fully have the capacity to comprehend the plans God has for the lives of others. A friend of mine explained so well that sometimes because of our lack of understanding, our words can become weapons that kill ideas that potentially could have changed the course of a nation. This reiterates why it’s important we know when to share and why we are sharing. When we are in phases of hiddenness this is where we are tested with the seeds God has planted within us. Do we choose to cultivate them privately irrespective of whether or not we have the applause of others? Do we choose to be discrete in our sharing not because we are being secretive but more so it’s important to discern whether or not we need to share certain information? A great book I read on this is ‘The Art of Being Private: Building in Silence’ by Dephne Madyara. I highly recommend. But my point is, let’s protect the seeds God has given us, it’s so important.
Community — How are you Being Watered?
As navigate seasons of hiddeness, the people we choose to surround ourselves with is very important. It’s important we are surrounded by people who would not push us out of the seasons we find ourselves in due to lack of understanding. Our words either have the ability to nurture the potential of others around us, or kill them. I love Mary and Elizabeth’s friendship in the Bible. When Mary became pregnant, she lived with Elizabeth for three months. When I read through this, it reminded me of the importance of having the right people around us when we’re navigating pivotal periods in life. Elizabeth recognised the importance of Mary’s pregnancy and was able to cover her at a time. I’m grateful to have relationships where I experience this and I encourage you to spend some time praying for God to show you who could represent ‘Elizabeth’ in your life. They may currently be present or might be round the corner. Another point I think is important to make is, let’s not judge or write off people based on their present circumstances. A lot of the time it can be easy to physically judge people based on what they are passing through, but what we may not realise is, unexpected help may come from unexpected places. A friend of mine pointed out this scripture to me when we spoke about this and it sums up my point perfectly:
“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!“
2 Corinthians 5:16 NLT
I think it’s also important to add an important point a friend of mine shared with me. When we’re unclear on what is happening in the lives of our friends and those around us, let’s not attempt to define their circumstances and place labels due to our lack of understanding. Instead, let’s pray for understanding and be slow to speak and quick to listen. Often times people need a listening ear more than unsolicited advice that lacks understanding.
Reflection questions on Community 💭
Who are the people in your inner circle at this point in time?
How are you being watered? Do your friends speak life over you and do you do the same?
Do you need to nurture certain relationships even more in this phase of life?
On the topic of community, this is a mini shout out to my friend Demi!! This is such an old picture. We’ve been friends for about 8 years or more, and she’s testament to what it truly means to have a friend in and out of different seasons. I appreciate you!
As we wrap up today’s newsletter, I hope you are encouraged wherever you find yourself on the journey. As always, my messages are open to speak further if you will like to.
📌 Here are some points to hold unto:
The underground work matters, the quality and depth of our foundations determine how long we will last for.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning— you may not start of life in the most favourable circumstances, but this does not determine where you will end up.
Be intentional about the voices you allow speak into your life, our words are seeds that can either bear positive or negative fruit.
As always share your thoughts with me! And I’ll see you next week.
Omo, God has really given you WISDOM