I recently got a renewal notice for my website.

I pay a fee each year to have my own domain and an upgraded design and apparently in August I need to decide if it’s worth the investment for another year. I sighed, thinking to myself: I don’t really write anymore. I’ve probably penned 2 or 3 blogs since last August and I often can’t think of much to say.

But it got me to thinking of why I don’t have much to say. This is one of those seasons of quiet and shaping – not much for explosive revelation or exciting life lessons. Learning to live in a new country and study a language full time doesn’t often produce the kind of stories I wish to write. Perhaps not long ago this would’ve been cause for alarm in my chosen direction – I’ve always wanted to be a person of impact in all seasons. And I certainly wouldn’t use that word to describe my role in this season (unless you count me slamming my fist into my Chinese textbook from time to time).

A friend of mine sent me a book a few months ago that was about exactly what I didn’t want, but needed to hear. The simple and short book is called “Anonymous” and it talks about an often avoided subject of Jesus’ character. It’s easy for us to think of Jesus’ public life and ministry – that 10% of His life that fill our gospels with stories. But we forget that 90% of His life was lived as a simple carpenter in obscurity. We have 3-4 short stories from the first 30 years of His life, and from then on He would only live 3 more.

Jesus spent 90% of His life in quiet obscurity.

I’m sure the majority of His early days weren’t full of miracles or abundant fruit. They probably looked a lot like sitting at His carpenter’s table and being on time for dinner most nights.

But in those quiet days, God was shaping and molding Him for what was to come. He was training Him to defeat the devil in the desert. He was preparing Him to shun political power when it was offered by many. To take that dark and lonely road to the cross, when everyone was telling Him to give in.

I’m trying not to live my life as if I’m supposed to wait for something better to come along. Of course I wish I could choose a handful of other circumstances, but that’s not God’s best for me in this season. Sometimes you just have to learn to show up, even if people don’t notice you’re there.

Lord, teach me the beauty of anonymity.