Revealing the Hidden Things

My customers are complaining about their woodworking orders. It’s not the usual stuff about quality, prices, or delivery. Ironically, the complaint comes from people I know well. Usually they come from my closest friends and family.

My niece challenged me about the underside of a floor-level shelf on her end table. A friend disagreed with the back of a Shalom sign he ordered- the part that faces the wall. I take pride in these protests have no intention of changing. If they want to work with me, they will have to learn to accept these things as they are.

My trademark feature is at the heart of their complaint. It is applied after the work is complete and is my favorite part of woodworking. I don’t mean the clearly engraved “Mc” logo. My trademarks are harder to find because I hide them.

My niece discovered an Irish blessing when she removed her shelf and flipped it over. Etched in a Celtic font were the words:

May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I copied it from a needlepoint that my Mom kept in the hallway of our home. She has departed, but the family still cherishes her memory. After much deliberation I chose those words especially for my niece. They are proudly featured on the bottom of a shelf no one can see.

She believed the blessing deserved a more prominent display.

I disagreed.

If you turn over one of my Shalom signs then you find a blessing offered by the apostle Jude in an open letter sent to Christ-followers.

May mercy, shalom, and love be multiplied to you.

Kim and I went back and forth for an entire evening trying to pick the precise sentiment. It is my spoken prayer as I let my peace rest on every home that hangs it above their doorpost.

My friend thought it should be a highlighted part of the sign.

I disagreed.

There are other examples. Many of my pieces hide a message from the world but intend it for the recipient. I choose the words after careful deliberation. They may be a scripture, familiar verse, or just something I wrote. Each is my prayer for that specific person.

I call them the Hidden Things.

The Hidden Things don’t belong to the world. I share them with God and a particular person or family. They are the treasure of my work – my private hopes. They aren’t clever or funny, rather my simple petition to a Father who adores us. I hide them to emphasize that the sentiment is real.

Some things are special because they are secret. These aren’t fortune cookies that you can buy a bag at a time. After much deliberation, I select them and present them to God on your behalf. I believe that He honors these requests by reading them aloud and speaking them into reality.

God does the same thing with us. He speaks in soft voices that we have to lean in to hear. He hides truths inside parables for us to discover. He visits us in dreams. The thrill of uncovering a Hidden Thing is to learn the very heart of God.

Exposing myself to criticism about my abilities as a woodworking craftsman is difficult. However, that is easy compared to letting down my guard with a message that arose from my soul. When the reward for my efforts is an eye roll, mockery, or being ignored – it is painful. If they don’t care, then I feel small. But when it sparks a deeper connection, every risk is worthwhile.

One day, someone will unwrap a piece that I have spent weeks building and without paying attention to what it is, will immediately ask for help flipping it over to search for the Hidden Thing.

On that day, I will know that I’ve shared my heart.

Making Waves is my commitment to take big risks, to be vulnerable, and to contemplate new ways to love God and my neighbor. The Hidden Things are like a post written for only one person.

I invite you to share Hidden Things, whether they are carved into furniture, tucked into a lunchbag, or scribbled on a postcard. The authenticity of the emotion behind the gesture is all that matters.

Perhaps we can find each other and a connection to God in our search for Hidden Things.