When You Feel Unseen

Hey dreamer!  Yes you!  The one who's been dreaming of that future day.  That day when your marriage relationship feels like it used to.  That day when you finally get a job that you love.  That day when your business takes off.  That day when your relationship with your kiddos exceeds your expectations.  

I see you...

I see you because I am you.  I'm a dreamer at heart.  Well, I'm a mix of a dreamer with a splash of a realist. But the main point - our dreams our good.  Our dreams move us to change. Our dreams connect us with the heart of God.  Our dreams are God's way of moving us to do the next thing right in front of. 

The problem? 

But, just like any good TV show, there's a problem, isn't there?  You've felt it. There's a not yet to your dreaming.  There's a land in between the idea of a dream and accomplishing that dream.  Not to mention that sometimes, we get to a dream to find it's not all it's cracked up to be. 

In the waiting, we wonder if we did it wrong.  This dreaming thing.  The path we find ourselves on doesn't seem like the shortest route to our dream life.  After we decide we didn't do it wrong, we may start wondering if God has forgotten.  

In the midst of our dreaming, we drill down to what we're really looking for. PURPOSE. MEANING. SIGNIFICANCE. 

“When my dreams aren’t being fulfilled, I’m invited to search the one who gives dreams in the first place. ”

— SARA HAGERTY | AUTHOR OF UNSEEN

But in the waiting, we find everyday unseen moments that cause us to question.  We question how we can find God in the not yet moments.  And you know what? God is in those small moments.  Inviting us to be still and rest. Inviting us choose Him over any dream we can think up.  Inviting Him to prepare our hearts to live our dreams. 

Thriving in our unseen places

I don't know what your unseen places are today. What I do know is that you're not alone.  Why do I say this?  Because this topic keeps coming up.  Maybe because I'm reading Sara Hagerty's book Unseen or maybe because of friends who are pondering the same things, but  definitely because God is in the small, unseen places of our lives.  

You and I find God in the mundane and the routine. We find purpose and meaning as we find God is the middle of our everyday lives.  God is in the small stuff in our lives. 

This is my second attempt to write these words.  I didn't get through the first attempt.  I was busy going from meeting to meeting - and quite honestly not struggling with feeling unseen. And then I went to my last meeting of the day. 

I've recently volunteered with a nonprofit that is new to me. I've joined the board full of hopes and expectations.  They just built a new website and I was going to use my skills and gifts to help.  As I went to our meeting last week, I found myself in unseen places - feeling like what I'm doing doesn't have an impact.  Feeling like I'm not doing anything to contribute. Feeling as if my opinion is overlooked. 

I had a tough day so this resulted in a little bathroom crying - please tell me you relate.  A little pulling myself together. A little leaning out before I even get started.  

“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. ”

— SARA HAGERTY | UNSEEN

As I came home, I realized that being unseen is hard.  We want to make an impact now.  We want to know that the effort is worth it. That we're using our gifts. That our places are significant as we journey. 

Sara (yes we're on a first-name basis in my mind) calls this the winterizing of our dreams.  It's those moments and seasons where our dreams get buried in the midst of your life. 

Navigating the unseen

If you're a long-time reader of the One Foot blog, you know I like to give you a list of things you can do.  As if, there's an antidote to every issue. A list of things you can do to make your winterizing time go by faster. 

The truth is that not everything is solved with what we call in the blogging/copywriting business a "listicle". (Get is list + article). 

And the winter of our dreams is no exception.  We're hidden so we can find God in the hiddenness. So we remind ourselves that God sees us when our life and dreams feel hidden.  We embrace where we are for today. And look for God to show up in the small places He has placed us in. 

Enter life coaching

This is not my first winter in the unseen places.  In every transition, there has been a winter of sorts.  A hiddenness in God.  I've been there and I am often still there.  Enter life coaching. I believe in the power of coaching to help you and I navigate when it's time to be hidden, when it's time to pursue our dreams, and how to discover how to live authentically in the process. 

If you're ready to find clarity on your unseen places and purpose in your everyday life, I'm passionate about helping your find purpose and meaning where you are today.