I often refer to in my sermons to times when we are “hidden.”   These seasons of hiddenness can be a particular day, or could be long years of our lives.   In the August 12th reading of “Bread for the Journey” by Henri Nouwen, he writes beautiful words about Jesus’ hidden years.

The Hidden Life of Jesus

The largest part of Jesus’ life was hidden. Jesus lived with his parents in Nazareth, “under their authority” (Luke 2:51), and there “increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with people” (Luke 2:52). When we think about Jesus we mostly think about his words and miracles, his passion, death, and resurrection, but we should never forget that before all of that Jesus lived a simple, hidden life in a small town, far away from all the great people, great cities, and great events. Jesus’ hidden life is very important for our own spiritual journeys. If we want to follow Jesus by words and deeds in the service of his Kingdom, we must first of all strive to follow Jesus in his simple, unspectacular, and very ordinary hidden life.

Nouwen, Henri J. M. (2009-03-17). Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith (Kindle Locations 2371-2376). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.