“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” Psalm 139:1-3

It was time for my family to leave language school in Salatiga, Central Java, and relocate to the MAF base in Sentani, Papua, on a completely different island of Indonesia. Our lives were packed up again; moving, again. Friends came to say good-bye, and we smiled for the pictures while our hearts were breaking. If you were to follow our journey by the pictures we posted on Facebook, it might appear that we seamlessly moved from one place to another with a smile on our faces.

But I noticed something one day while I was unpacking. I realized of all the pictures I took, I only posted the ones that made life seem orderly. There were pictures of my orderly kitchen and living room, but none of my incredibly messy bedroom! I posted the pictures I wanted others to see, which is not always the whole picture. Then I realized that this is exactly true of my own life.

My “messy room” right now is transitioning—being new, again. Learning the ropes at a new base and finding the courage to make friends, again. Watching my kids look longingly at other kids and shedding tears over friends left behind. These are the pictures I don’t share.

It reminds me that life is not always what it seems, and I should take the time to reach out to others. I love the privilege of being able to get to know the people I serve with and the people in the country I came to serve. And I’m so thankful for His never-ending grace!

No matter what I might try to hide from others, I find great comfort in the fact that God is “…intimately acquainted with all my ways.”