Obscurity

Have you ever done something just for the glory of it . . . because it is beautiful . . .  because it expresses wonder and creativity . . . sensing that it brings joy to God . . . even if no one else sees it . . . or ever will?

Our friend Rob sowed these kinds of ruminations into my heart as we sat beside a babbling brook in Elkmont.  It was dark . . . “in the hollers of the hills” kind of dark.  We had come to watch the synchronous firefly display that happens every spring in the Smoky Mountain National Park.  We were sitting on the ground, in a quiet spot, away from the noisy tourists, shielded from the moon’s bright rays by a steep hill of tall trees.  Small clusters of people were watching with us, speaking only in hushed whispers if they spoke at all.

“This was happening here before people ever saw it or knew about it,” Rob whispered in a quiet sense of awe, “even when no one could enjoy it but God Himself.”      
 

In a society that is obsessed with broadcasting everything to anyone and everyone allllll the time, the idea of NOT sharing something . . . of a wonderful event happening in complete seclusion . . . was an intriguing idea for me.  What an improbability!  Wouldn’t it be wasteful, and maybe even wrong, for a wonderful thing to exist in obscurity?

Publicity seems like a necessity.  Things must be you-tubed.   They must be podcasted and tweeted and cable news-ed.  They must be “put out there” so they can be given an opportunity to go viral and spread world-wide.

Must something be public for it to be valuable? 

Does everything have to be done in “community” for it to have merit and worth?

Do we need fanfare and “like” buttons and bragging blogs and trusty followers and notoriety to have lives that are significant and good?

If so, then our mandate is clear.   We must be faithful to log and blog and tweet and greet regularly.  We must develop a public persona that is entertaining, witty, interesting, and . . . at the very least . . . current and up-to-fad.   It would be a shame . . . and might even be a public sin . . . to do anything less than live out loud.  And, of course, we should also keep a close watch on our own youth/hotness level.  It would certainly be wrong to assault the modern world with a personal self that isn’t as youthful and or as hot as we can possibly conjure.

But what if living out loud isn’t always good?  Or always necessary?

As I sat by that wooded mountain creek last weekend . . . listening to the water . . . watching the fireflies . . . in a place so dark that I could only recognize people by the sound of their shushed voices . . . I began to ponder the beauty of solitude.  And quietness.  And even of obscurity.

So much of history . . . human history and natural history . . . has been witnessed by God alone.  Who else was there at the creation of the stars, cheering God on? Who else saw the initial overflowing of the earth’s first waterfalls?  Or the sculpting of the Grand Canyon?  Or the emergence of the very first robin from its baby-blue egg?  Or the hidden birth of Jesus the Messiah in an unremarkable animal barn?  Were any of these events any less spectacular or any less important because crowds weren’t there to witness them . . . or to “like” them . . . or to forward pictures of them to 300 of their closest “friends?” 

And the fireflies . . . have they become MORE awesome since scientists confirmed that Elkmont did indeed have a population of American firefly species “P. carolinus”?  Believe it or not, this discovery became world-wide knowledge when a reader of Science News thought it odd that an article she was reading about Asian firefly synchronicity mentioned nothing about the fireflies near her own home.  According to atlasobscura.com, she wrote the following letter to a Cornell mathematician:

I am sure you are aware of this, but just in case, there is a type of group synchrony lightning bug inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park near Elkmont, Tennessee. These bugs “start up” in mid June at 10 p.m. nightly. They exhibit 6 seconds of total darkness; then in perfect synchrony, thousands light up 6 rapid times in a 3 second period before all going dark for 6 more seconds.  We have a cabin in Elkmont... and as far as we know, it is only in this small area that this particular type of group synchronized lightning bug exists. It is beautiful.

The Asian fireflies were “discovered” by a Dutch physician in 1680.  Our own Elkmont fireflies were “discovered” by the world in 1992.  But they have existed . . . in all their wonder and beauty . . . for every traveler and every hiker and every night-time porch sitter for eons . . . right there where God put them.  And even when no one was there, they still flashed in perfect synchronization. 

Beautiful indeed.

For thus the Lord God the Holy One of Israel, has said,
"In  repentance and  rest you will be saved,
In  quietness and trust is your strength."
But you were not willing . . .
Isaiah 30:15

May we be willing to live a life that indulges in quietness.  And even treasures obscurity.  We don’t really have to live with an audience of millions to find value and significance.  An audience of One is quite enough.  He has wonders and joys and amazements to share with those who will dare to step . . . even if for a little while . . . into obscure fellowship with Him.

I challenge you to try it. 

Meet with God . . . in complete obscurity . . .  just for the glory of it . . . because it is beautiful . . .  in all its wonder and creativity . . . knowing that it brings joy to God . . . even if no one else sees it . . . or ever will. 

And then, respond to His goodness and grace in complete obscurity.  Develop the character necessary to do it without a soul ever knowing . . . except God.

I suspect it will be life-changing.

And truly beautiful.

Psalm 46:10-11

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah.