September 16, 2026 It was almost embarrassing how long it took us to find her. I was playing hide-and-seek with my cousins and my twin sister at my cousins’ house in Maryland. We were old enough to be past the stage when kids hide in obvious spots, but we were young enough to be playing hide-and-seek. As my aunt and uncle and a neighbor sat at the kitchen table chatting, we were running and hiding all over the house. I was “it,” the person tasked with finding everyone else. I remember finding two of the other players – my two cousins – relatively quickly. I couldn’t find my sister. After what felt like forever, my cousins joined me in searching. Even with three of us searching, we couldn’t find Deanna, my sister. My aunt and uncle and the neighbor started laughing. Their laughter made us look their way. What did we see? Deanna. She was seated at the kitchen table holding a newspaper in front of her. She had been there the whole time. I remember my uncle cackling, “hidden in plain sight,” he said. I thought of Deanna being hidden in plain sight recently as I prayed after one of those days when I was overwhelmed by my to-do list, plans imploding, unexpected problems… life, really. “God, where are you?” I thought, exasperated in the midst of the chaos. “Why aren’t you here helping me?” I was looking for what I thought I needed – reassurance, certainty, positive outcomes, some warm and fuzzy sign of God’s love. Praying and reflecting about that day, God reminded me that even when I don’t see Him or understand His purpose for something in my life, He is there and His plan is unfolding. If He wasn’t there, I’d cease to exist. We all would. I spend so much time looking for God’s hand in my life, while He keeps reminding me that my life is all in His hand. I guess my mind sometimes leaves Him hidden in plain sight, and it takes me an embarrassingly long time to see it. |
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