BLOSSOMING INCOGNITO

"The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel."

–The book of Luke, chapter 1; verse 80(The Message translation)

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These days I've had the Spirit of God talk to me about covert seasons – of seasons of hiding. I've found no better phrase to use in describing this, hence the title, "blossoming incognito".

There are periods in our lives when outwardly, it seems like nothing's being achieved and the fruits are not as evident as we would like. During times like these, it could be evident to us that we're undergoing changes, or it could not. But one thing that we're able to relate with most days are the feelings that accompany the thoughts – When? or How?

Most days, we can't wait for the results of the training and learning in these seasons to begin to show fruit. There's always this hunger to finally have people see that there's more to us than we've been showing: more to us than they've been seeing. And truly, it's not a bad feeling in itself. These feelings of anticipation, of budding excitement, have surely been placed in us by God Himself. Because there is an anticipated end. There is a time also for revealing.

But one thing He desires from us most of all, is to learn to grow and blossom in patient quietness. He wants to see our faces and hearts light up in enthusiastic excitement and still have us free of the anxiety that has been known to usually follow periods of waiting in the natural.

He wants us to appreciate the changes and growth we undergo, while looking forward to bigger things and yet enjoy the peace and strength needed to bask in the moments of the now.

Ever noticed how you feel when watching an exciting series? You want to get to the end so quickly, or you find yourself eager for your main characters to pair up already! And then, when they finally do, you find yourself missing the previous scenes that lead up to the point of culmination. You find yourself brooding on the near misses, the funny moments – every single thing that led up to that point.

It's the same thing with our seasons. Daddy's always saying "Calm down. I got you. Why don't you put these anxious feelings aside and rest in my love, assured of my working within you to bring out the fruits in my season?"

Sometimes, these seasons are full of so many tests and processes that we could find ourselves awake in the middle of the night crying out for a moment of reprieve. Or they could even get us wondering what time we would have left to tackle other matters by the time these ones are over – because they feel like they'll never end and make us look like slow learners. However;

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

– The book of James, Chapter 1; verses 2-4(The Message translation, emphasis – mine.)

There's a need to come to the realisation that more than we do, God Himself wants to be able to place us under a spotlight, bring us out before the world and all of creation and brag about us from dusk till dawn, showing everyone around us – just like He did with Job and Jesus Christ – that this is my beloved child and servant, in whom I'm well pleased and I can trust to handle things exactly the way I would expect.

But as much as He wants to get us out there working, He cares about us enough to want us fully prepared for all that's ahead. He's our father as much as he's our king, and he would never want us to crumble under the pressure of what lies ahead. For this reason, he would have us spend every second necessary for preparation in preparation. He'd have us go through the little cases first, to reach our limits in those hidden periods – in an environment that is safe and incubatory – and exceed them before moving on to something bigger. It is in this manner he builds us and protects us at the same time.

So, we must allow our hearts rejoice in this knowledge. We are loved and greatly cared for.