Offaly columnist identifies the hidden place where God sees you
There is a quiet exhaustion many people carry that nobody else can see. The exhaustion of trying to matter
There is a quiet exhaustion many people carry that nobody else can see. The exhaustion of trying to matter. Trying to be enough. Trying to survive. Trying to keep going. Trying to wake up and face another day when the weight of everything already feels heavy. And perhaps this is where many of us begin. Not with strength. Not with certainty. But with trying.
Because the work of trying begins almost immediately after we open our eyes each morning. Trying to love. Trying to heal. Trying to hope. Trying to listen. Trying to care. Trying to forgive. Trying to survive. Trying to be okay. Trying to keep going. Trying to stay open. Trying to hold on. Trying to believe. Trying to exist. And perhaps we do not say this enough, Trying is holy too. Because life is not easy. The news is grim. Our situations are difficult. The world often feels out of control and out of peace. Wars. Violence. Division. Greed. Hatred. Racism. Suffering. Communities torn apart. People grieving quietly. Private battles nobody else sees. Yet somehow, despite all this, people keep trying. “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9). And maybe that matters more than we realize.
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The quiet question beneath everything
Beneath all this trying there is often another question, “Do I still matter if nobody notices me?” And the Gospel answers with breath taking tenderness, Yes. You matter. Infinitely. Not because you are impressive. Not because you are visible. Not because people celebrate you. You matter because you are loved. Jesus loves us as He loves Himself. He died for us. Rose again for us. And sent the Holy Spirit to remain with us in weakness, wandering, exhaustion and grief. Thank You, Lord. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” (John 15:9). “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” (1 John 3:1). “Neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:38–39). The Cross of Jesus forever destroys the lie that our worth must be earned.
The quiet addictions of the human heart
The desire to be honoured is one of the hardest chains to break because it disguises itself beautifully as virtue. We want to be respected. Recognised. Appreciated. Admired. Praised. Preferred. Chosen. Remembered. Perhaps one of the deepest addictions of the human heart is not power. Not wealth. Not pleasure. But preference. To be chosen first. To be remembered first. To be loved more. And when that does not happen, something inside us quietly aches. Not all wounds come from hatred. Some wounds come from watching someone else receive what we secretly desired. Someone else gets chosen. Someone else is admired. Someone else receives the affection. And comparison whispers, "Why not me?" But a heart enslaved to preference can never rest. It counts. Measures. Compares. Keeps score. Holy people slowly stop counting. “Love does not envy… it is not proud.” (1 Corinthians 13:4). “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3). Because love no longer depends upon comparison.
Living For God
The desire to be praised can quietly become stronger than the desire to be holy. Praise feels warm. It comforts insecurity. Feeds the ego. Makes us feel seen. But if applause becomes how we measure our worth, silence eventually destroys our peace. True freedom begins when we stop performing for crowds and start living for an audience of One and that One is God. Because visibility is not validation. Recognition is not love. Human approval changes constantly. God’s love does not. The world says, Build your image. Collect as many Followers as you can. Protect your reputation. Make your name great. Make sure people notice. Christ whispers, “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25). “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26). “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30). The holiest people are often the quietest. They continue loving. Continue serving. Continue showing up. Continue trying. Even when nobody notices.
The hidden place
There is something deeply Franciscan about hiddenness. Saint Francis, whose 800th anniversary we celebrate this year, did not spend his life trying to become unforgettable to people. He spent his life becoming transparent enough for Christ to be seen through him. He understood, Transformation rarely begins on a stage. It begins in hidden places. On your knees. In silence. In ordinary moments. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6). “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). Because silence removes the audience. And finally we meet ourselves honestly. Our fears. Our exhaustion. Our insecurities. Our need to matter. But there too we encounter God. Already seeing. Already knowing. Already loving. We live in a culture obsessed with spectacular things. Visibility. Platforms. Followers. Success. But heaven measures differently. There are people quietly changing the world every day. The exhausted parent. The caregiver. The grieving friend. The lonely person choosing kindness. The person battling depression while still showing compassion. The worker remaining honest. The person quietly showing up again today. “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:4). “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Hiddenness is not insignificance. Hiddenness is intimacy. Because fruit always grows underground before breaking through the surface.
Our work is to keep trying
Sometimes there is little we can do about wars. Or greed. Or hatred. Or injustice. But there is still work entrusted to us. Trying to create reconciliation. Trying to create healing. Trying to create peace. Trying to create compassion. Trying to create community. Trying to love. Trying to forgive. Trying to bless. Trying to remain human. Trying to remain open. Trying to keep going. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21). Perhaps our work is this, to drag the Kingdom of God’s love kicking and screaming into our realities. One small act at a time.
Every person matters
You will never look into the eyes of someone who does not matter to God. Not the grieving. Not the lonely. Not the refugee. Not the forgotten. Not the wounded. Every person carries infinite dignity. Because every person is deeply loved. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40). “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mark 12:31). We are neighbours on this tiny little planet. Trying. Struggling. Hoping. Grieving. Longing to be loved. So be kind. Because compassion changes things.
Begin the day with love
Perhaps this is why where we begin matters. Before the noise. Before the headlines. Before the demands. Begin with God. Begin with gratitude. Begin with prayer. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8). Grace still abounds. Mercies are still new this morning. “His mercies are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22–23). Prayers are still being heard. Jesus is still interceding. The Holy Spirit is still working. God is still waiting. Ready to embrace. Ready to strengthen. Ready to walk with you.
Thought for the week
As your thought for the week, do one hidden act of love every day. Stay peaceful when someone else is chosen. Celebrate someone else sincerely. Pray secretly. Serve quietly. Reach out to someone struggling. Spend time in silence. And ask yourself, “Would I still do this if nobody ever knew?” Because some of the most beautiful things are seen only by heaven. Keep trying. Keep loving. Keep showing up. Keep being gentle. Keep being compassionate. Keep going. “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Let me leave you with a prayer I wrote about Hidden Faithfulness - "Lord Jesus, Thank You for loving us when we are tired. When we are trying. When we are struggling. Deliver us from the exhausting need to be admired. Deliver us from the desire to be praised. Deliver us from the desire to be preferred. Teach us hiddenness. Teach us quiet faithfulness. Teach us compassion. Help us remain gentle in hard times. Help us love when nobody notices. Help us continue trying when we feel like quitting. Give us eyes to see people as You see them. Make our hearts tender again. And when we feel unseen, remind us softly, that being loved by You is enough. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). May we become people of hidden faithfulness. People of compassion. People who quietly carry Your love into wounded places. Not great in the eyes of the world. But faithful in the eyes of heaven. Amen."