Hidden for a purpose.

I hardly know where to start this posting. So many things are running through my mind that have shaped my life lately. First, you never know what a day will bring. I’m sure you have heard that before and have had it be a reality in your life.

The good things we can handle and are often welcomed, but the not-so-good things are harder. Recently, a friend reappeared in my life who was supposed to have been here for me when I moved to Florida. We spent maybe 5 times together before she dropped out of my life. It hurt. It confused me. It broke my heart to know that she could do that to me.

I went to God. I held on while the waves kept trying to pull me under. Finally, one day He lifted me into that rowboat I was so desperately in need of. It’s amazing when you get to the end of yourself and put everything in God’s hands that the light begins to come into your situation.

When I moved here, I prayed that my relationship with God would become more real and deeper than ever before. That He would become number one in my life.

Well, guess what, in order for that to happen, He had to move the number one person I was depending on OUT of my life first. To clear the way for my prayer to begin to happen, my friend had to go.

I won’t go into great detail about what was going on in her life that caused her to decide to step away from me, but hearing about all of it now with her return—it all makes sense. She was drowning in her own life. I might have thought that I was a casualty, but really I was the easiest to set aside. She knew she could walk away from at least one of the problems she was dealing with and trusted our friendship.

I sat listening to her tell me all that had transpired since she left. Believe me when I tell you it was MORE than a plate full, and it's not all over yet. Some of the major things have been resolved, but the residue still needs to be dealt with.

After our conversation that night, I heard the Lord speaking very clearly to me. “Susan, I allowed it for two reasons. You prayed for it, and I saved you from having to be in the middle of things that you couldn’t do anything about.”

What was a terrible disappointment and heartbreak, now with understanding, became a blessing. It took me about four months to come to the first realization that God had hidden me away here to become my closest friend—just like I asked. It humbles me to know how much God loves me, and with all the billions and billions of people in this world, he wants to be with me.

It's hard to understand God's presence because we can’t see Him. Everything about Christianity is based on faith. You have to believe. But the more you do believe, the more God gives you a sense of His presence in such a real way that you just know when you are hearing Him, and He has drawn you near to Himself.

Maybe you feel like you are alone or forgotten. I’ve been there too. Let me suggest that you take a deep breath and allow yourself to think that maybe it's not that you are alone, but God has hidden you so that He can become everything to you.

Yes, we need people, and God is the one who said that it was not good for man to be alone. But He wants to be FIRST in our lives. If we trust His wisdom and love, we’ll find that being hidden away has a purpose. And when you least expect it, that day will come, and you’ll see the full picture.

As always, I bless you.