The Repetition of Obscurity

“A great dream must endure many predictable days in order to see unpredictable miracles.”
Matthew Barnett

Seasons of obscurity can be frustrating because we feel stuck; like a broken record repeating the same fundamental principles of life and leadership over and over again– but that’s the point.

I was a 4.0 student when I graduated high school, not because I was a genius, but because my teacher refused to let me advance beyond the basics until I mastered them. When I'd take a test and miss answers, she would say, “ok, which ones did you get wrong and why?” Then we'd go over it until I understood it and got 100%! That was a unique privilege because my teacher was also my Mom. She homeschooled me and my five siblings throughout elementary, middle, and high school until we went to college in 11th grade. (Yes, she (Jackie Deuth) is a Saint, and all of us kids owe her a crazy amount for that time and sacrifice!)

She was relentless on the fundamentals, and as you could imagine, I wasn’t a fan. A phrase I’m sure my mom got tired of hearing me say was, "who cares about how to get there, just give me the answers, and I'll fill in the blanks!" I had the same approach in little league sports. I didn’t want to practice, I just wanted to play. I would often ask the coach, “can’t we just play a game?”

This is a common struggle for all of us when we’re in the development and obscure seasons of life; we all want to skip the current season and advance straight to the “good stuff.” But by God’s intention, this season forces us to embrace the fundamentals and go over them again and again and again.... and again. The goal is mastery of the essentials.

OBSCURITY PROVIDES ATMOSPHERE FOR MASTERY

Mastery of the fundamentals is crucial to be able to step into the purpose that He has for you and maintain it. Obscurity tends to be the best place to develop mastery of your skill and calling. Think of David's life. It says that David when talking to King Saul about his desire to fight Goliath, reviews his resume as to why he can fight and defeat the giant. He basically says, “While this may seem to the onlooker as a big or difficult task for me, what they don’t know about are the years I've spent with God and the sheep where God developed my trust in Him and my fighting skills. Taking on the giant that day was almost routine for David because he had developed his craft in the hidden season.