The Invisibility of Obscurity

One of the greatest and most undervalued benefits of Obscurity is its invisible quality; that’s also one of the most frustrating parts of it. I assure you it’s not God’s plan to keep you in isolation or to hide you so you’re overlooked. Rather, Obscurity is really the grace of God on your life, creating space for Him to make mission-critical adjustments with the least amount of collateral damage and exposure.

Like a great theatre director, God has you in a closed rehearsal because your performance isn’t quite ready to be seen by the audience and the theater critics.

“The Invisibility of Obscurity provides a safe place to make mistakes.”

It’s an interesting example to observe Moses when it comes to this. In Exodus 2:12, Moses kills a man and tries to cover it up. This act is done in an obscure season of his life, but later on in his life when he’s leading the whole nation, he hit the rock instead of speaking to it. This simple act of public disobedience took him out of the game.

“But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
Numbers 20:12

Sin isn't okay at any time, but its effects are different during and after obscurity. The expectation on leadership and our accountability with God is greater as we grow in our relationship with God and as He increases our influence on his behalf. That’s why God provides a safe place to make mistakes before releasing you into your mission.

OBSCURITY IS AN INSULATOR

David had several seasons of invisibility, but the primary one was with the sheep before and after he was anointed to be the next king. This invisible season was crucial to prepare him for his very visible seasons. Often God will place us in a season where we can develop our skill and gifting before it goes public.

“Premature exposure of your gift can result in a major sabotage of your confidence, identity, and reputation.”

Spending time in the fields with the sheep far away from the battlefields allowed David to spend a lot of time practicing the sling without people around him destroying his confidence. I’m not saying that you should wait till you’re perfect to step out and do something, but allow God’s timing to elevate you. He knows when you’re ready and what level you can handle.

I know I’m glad that the first time I preached to a junior high crowd as a 1st year college student, it wasn’t live-streamed! Ha! (For real) Thank God for forgiving young people who God used to allow me to shape my leadership and communication gifts. Honestly, if it wasn’t for those amazing youth 20-plus years ago, I’d be a mess! During those starting years, I had moments where I wanted to be seen, but thank God I wasn’t. That junior high ministry was where I really cut my teeth in leadership. As long as we connected with God, had fun, and ate pizza, they allowed me to grow and make mistakes along the way. I have many stories to tell about that season, but I don’t have time for them; I’ll just say some of them included doing a backflip into a worship leader’s head, shopping cart races, and milk chugging.

Mistakes and failures that we experience can be powerful teachers to develop us and move us forward, but overexposure to the harsh ridicule of the public on your call or gift too soon can end up stopping you dead in your tracks. Often, we rush to show someone our gift or our product and try to push ourselves out front, but when we’re not ready for the moment and we fall short, it can cause a prolonged delay of our destiny. There have been many times when I’ve tried to push out of invisibility to show off or display something; it never works and always feels awkward.

“Prepare, and your opportunity will come.”