This morning as I sat with the Lord, He put on my heart a struggle that is all too familiar to me between hiding and fear. And with it, was an invitation to be unhidden.

Unhidden isn’t a word we use regularly in English, but I was immediately brought back to the study I had done around the Greek word for truth, aletheia. I was fascinated by the depths of this word and how it could also be translated as unhidden. When Jesus says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life,’ (John 14:6) I love the thought that there is nothing hidden within Him. His ways are revealed as well as the life that comes to us through Christ, so why do we hide?

Fear is the number one thing that sends me into hiding. Sometimes being unhidden feels too vulnerable, especially in places I’ve been hurt or overwhelmed before. What I love about Jesus is that He knows why I hide, and in His gentle ways He calls me forward by reminding me that I can trust the One who is unhidden.When I trust, I release the unknowns to Him, and my belief in who He is calms the storms of fear that have sent me running. This place of trusting has often led to my greatest breakthroughs, but it almost always comes in moments of stepping out of hiding.

I was also reminded of something He said to me recently when I was bringing my fear of failure to Him. If you know me at all, you will often hear me talk about this being one of my core fears. Fear of failure is a big reason I’d rather remain hidden, but one day the Lord said to me, ‘I am not interested in your perfection, I’m interested in your passion.’ When He reframed that for me, a weight was lifted as I suddenly felt I could be myself. I could bring my passion to the table knowing that it might be messy and imperfect, but at least it was out of hiding. There is so much freedom in that space for me. This freedom is the birthplace of creativity and dreams that reach beyond the limitations I’ve so often put on myself.

What are you carrying within you that He is calling forward? Is it a hope, a dream, a promise or desire that has been seeded in your heart that you have been too afraid to speak out and have brought to sight? What are you passionate about that you want to share but you haven’t been able to? If fear is part of your story, what would it take to step out of that place and let that piece of you be unhidden today? 

I think one strategy we have been given to combat hiding is here:

‘The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.’ Philippians 4:5-8

I love the way Paul instructs us to live unhidden. It seems to me, the most important part of this is to remember we are not alone and the Lord is near. Then He tells us to think about what is true. So often the voice or sound of fear is loud and misleading, and Paul is reminding us to listen to the voice of truth. As we think about these things, we are partnering with His voice and we start to come out of hiding.

What an invitation out of fear and into His presence. To be unhidden is to know that we are fully seen, fully known and fully loved by Him. Jesus said, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them…” (John 10:27) He knows the treasures He has placed within you that He is calling forth. Follow His voice, the voice of the Unhidden One, as He calls us up and calls us out into the very things we were created for.