Hidden in Plain Sight
Provoking Thoughts with LadyT
Scripture Reflection: Genesis 21:19
Have you ever searched everywhere for something, only to discover it was right there in plain sight?
Well, let me tell you what happened at our house.
Sister Rachel sent a magnet home with Pastor for me. He put it in his pocket, and somewhere along the way, that little magnet attached itself to the back of his phone!
Now, we’re looking everywhere for this magnet.
And here’s the part that makes me laugh. Why am I searching for something HE was supposed to bring home and give to ME? 😂
But that’s another conversation!
The point is, the magnet wasn’t lost. It hadn’t disappeared. It was right there, attached to something we see and handle every day.
We were looking for it, but we weren’t seeing it.
And those three words kept coming to me, even waking me from my sleep.
Hidden in Plain Sight.
The more I thought about that little incident, the more I began thinking about how often this happens beyond misplaced objects.
Sometimes we become so focused on what we expect to find that we overlook what’s actually in front of us.
We have a picture in our minds of where something should be, what it should look like, or how an answer ought to come. And anything that doesn’t fit that picture can go completely unnoticed.
An opportunity that looks different from what we imagined.
A kindness we’ve received so often that we’ve stopped recognizing its value.
A lesson tucked inside something we almost dismissed.
Or an answer that comes from a direction we never thought to consider.
There’s a passage in Genesis that brings another dimension to this thought.
Hagar was in the wilderness with her son, facing a desperate situation. Their water was gone, and she feared for his life.
Then Genesis 21:19 tells us:
“And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water…” (KJV)
Now, Scripture doesn’t tell us how long that well had been there. But it does tell us something important.
God opened her eyes, and she saw what she needed.
I keep coming back to those words: God opened her eyes.
Hagar’s circumstances were far more serious than our little missing magnet, and I wouldn’t compare the two. But that ordinary experience led me to consider something meaningful about the way we see.
Sometimes we’re looking so intently for one thing that we fail to recognize something else.
And sometimes, what we need isn’t another place to search, but a different way of looking.
I’m learning that there’s a difference between looking and truly seeing.
Looking can become a habit. Seeing requires attention.
And perhaps that’s worth carrying into our everyday lives.
Are we overlooking the people who quietly show up for us? Have we become so accustomed to certain blessings that we no longer recognize them? Are we dismissing possibilities simply because they don’t resemble what we expected?
Not everything we’re searching for is necessarily within reach. And not every problem has an easy answer.
But I do believe there are times when we need to slow down, reconsider our assumptions, and ask God to help us recognize what we may have overlooked.
Because sometimes, what we’re searching for isn’t missing at all.
It’s hidden in plain sight.
And as for that magnet?
Well, let’s just say Pastor’s phone was holding on to something that belonged to me!
Let’s Pray
Father, help us to see beyond our expectations and assumptions. Give us wisdom to recognize what matters, gratitude for what we’ve overlooked, and eyes attentive to Your guidance. Thank You for the lessons You allow us to discover, even in the ordinary moments of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
~Smiling Atcha~
LadyT
Provoking Thoughts with LadyT
