This used to be Sassy’s favorite hiding place when she was a kitten. It was so brilliant, it took me a while to even discover it. She loved to curl up in that spot and sleep, as I’m sure she felt very safe there. We as humans do this very same thing. When we are vulnerable—sleeping or even depressed, anxious, fearful, confused, afraid of being rejected, lacking in the knowledge of who we are as well as our value and purpose—we hide ourselves.

Those who hide stay home. They don’t go to church; they don’t volunteer; they don’t work except for what is necessary for survival, and they don’t interact with people. For a designated couple of years, I was one of those people. That’s not to say it wasn’t a part of God’s plan for my life. Humans, too, sometimes go through seasons of “hibernation” of a sort. During these seasons, God draws us near to Him, if we let Him. These times are merely seasons, though. We cannot permanently remain in a season of hiding and still be in God’s will. God’s will is for us to go and connect with others. The purpose of your season of hiding is for you to focus on God without distraction and allow Him to reveal to you who you are.

Once we come out of hiding, if we allowed God into our hearts, a sense of “hidden-ness” remains present within us and never really goes away. We may not be in a proverbial cave anymore, but we remain hidden in Christ—hidden from the world. Notice, I said the world and not the church, as the church is to be set apart from the world. When one is hidden from the world, they discover the beauty of being outside of the spotlight. Hidden people don’t go to clubs, they dress modestly, and they don’t compete for attention. The beauty in these things lies in the fact that in doing/not doing certain things, they divert unwanted and unGodly attention. They dodge so many unfortunate circumstances by being hidden. In fact, you could say being hidden is synonymous with being protected, to a degree. Just as we are attempting to protect ourselves when we hide, God protects us when He hides us.

Another thing hidden people don’t do is what I like to call “collecting people”. Some people collect stamps; some people collect coins; some people, like myself, collect rocks, and some people collect people. Often times, these are people who suffer from a lack of self worth, and they have a fear of being unseen—a fear of being hidden. The more people they have on their radar—texting them, inviting them places, competing for their attention—the better they feel about themselves. Don’t get me wrong, some people just have a lot of genuine friends, and that is a blessing! However, if these are not people who you know genuinely want the best for you, consider asking yourself if these people serve a purpose in your life or if you are just afraid of being unnoticed by the world. “People collectors” are usually people who are afraid of being alone. They will often times have someone of the opposite sex they call a “friend”. They don’t want to commit to them, but don’t want anyone else to have them either, so they will string them along whilst giving them little pebbles of hope to keep them hooked. It all comes down to wanting to be seen, placed on a pedastool, even worshipped; it all comes down to looking for your worth in other people. Please stop doing this! You are not only hindering that person from healing or finding someone who truly wants to be with them, but you are hindering yourself from finding the man or woman that you are meant to be with! God will never send someone while you are doing this. (Satan will, but not God!)

People who submit themselves to being hidden in God are those who have or are well on their way to conquering the spirit of rejection—the fear of being unnoticed, unwanted. The fear of rejection has no choice but to leave as you have come to know The One who will never reject you, realizing no one else really matters. Those hidden in God no longer seek out void fillers; they no longer long to be seen by the world and long to be seen by God. They appreciate being hidden as opposed to fearing it.

There is a difference between hiding and being hidden. When we hide ourselves, it serves a purpose for a season, but then we must move on and come out of hiding, allowing God to hide us—placing our faith in Him and His Word instead of ourselves. Once God reveals who you are and your worth in Him, you can come out of your hiding place confidently, no longer fearing rejection, and allowing Him to hide you from that which does not serve you nor your relationship with Him.

Sassy doesn’t hide herself when she naps, anymore. She will curl up next to me and fall asleep right there. She has faith in me as her protector and provider. When she used to hide, it was because she didn’t truly know me yet. Likewise, when we hide ourselves, it’s not only because we don’t know who we are but also because we don’t know who God truly is. Let Him show you who He is! I don’t hide myself anymore, either. These days, I can rest peacefully in faith that I am hidden in God.