How I almost missed the most obvious thing hiding in plain sight
We were on day three of being snowed in, and my kids were getting that wild-eyed look that happens when screen time limits collide with cabin fever.
“Let’s do a puzzle!” I announced with the forced enthusiasm of a mom desperately trying to avoid another Nintendo Switch argument.
I dug out a 1,000-piece puzzle featuring a collage of vintage cereal boxes—all those colorful mascots and brands from the 70s and 80s that I remembered from Saturday morning cartoons.
What happened next changed how I see everything.
Putting the Puzzle Together
For days, we worked on that puzzle with the dedication of archaeologists uncovering ancient treasures.
We sorted pieces by color. Built the border first. Tackled each cereal box methodically—Tony the Tiger here, Lucky Charms leprechaun there, the Trix rabbit in the corner.
Michael joined in when he could, bringing his characteristic intensity to finding just the right piece. “Has anyone seen the corner of the Frosted Flakes box?” became his most-asked question.
We were so focused on the individual pieces that we completely missed the bigger picture.
The Moment Everything Clicked
It was late afternoon on day four when I placed what I thought was just another random piece—part of some generic cereal box background.
Suddenly, my daughter gasped.
“Mom! Look!”
She stepped back from the table, pointing at the puzzle with wide eyes.
There, running through the entire image, was a massive silver spoon.
Not part of any individual cereal box. Not a small detail hiding in a corner. A giant, obvious spoon that connected every single element of the puzzle.
How had we missed something so big and so central?
The Thing That Was Always There
We’d been so consumed with the individual cereals—the bright colors, the familiar mascots, the nostalgic brands—that we’d completely overlooked the very thing that tied them all together.
The spoon wasn’t hidden. It wasn’t camouflaged. It was right there, plain as day, connecting every piece.
We just hadn’t stepped back far enough to see it.
Standing there, staring at that completed puzzle, I had the strangest sensation that God was trying to tell me something.
My Own Missing Spoon
Six months later, Michael came home from Israel with stars in his eyes and stories about families gathering every Friday evening for something called Sabbath.
As he described what he’d witnessed—the intentional pause, the connection around the table, the sacred separation of time—something clicked in my brain.
This felt like finding the spoon all over again.
I’d been a Christian my entire life. I’d read through the Bible multiple times. I’d attended church faithfully, served in ministries, studied theology.
But somehow, I’d completely missed this enormous, central element running through all of Scripture.
Sabbath had been hiding in plain sight.
The Pieces I’d Been Focusing On
Just like with the cereal puzzle, I’d been so focused on the individual pieces of my faith that I’d missed the connecting thread.
I’d studied the Ten Commandments but somehow skipped over the fourth one. I’d read about Jesus resting but didn’t connect it to a weekly rhythm. I’d learned about God’s design for work and rest but treated it like ancient history.
I’d been assembling my spiritual life piece by piece without seeing the pattern that held it all together.
All those verses about rest that I’d read as metaphors? They were literal invitations.
All those stories of Jesus withdrawing to pray? They were modeling something I was supposed to practice.
All those references to sacred time? They were pointing to something that was meant to be part of my regular rhythm, not just a theological concept.
The Beautiful Irony
Here’s what’s almost funny: The thing I’d been missing was the very thing my soul had been craving.
That restlessness I felt despite having a successful career? That constant sense of being behind even when I was ahead? That inability to just be present without feeling guilty?
The answer had been woven through Scripture all along.
Like that silver spoon in the puzzle, Sabbath connected everything—creation, commandments, Jesus’ ministry, eternal rest. It wasn’t an add-on or an optional practice for super-spiritual people.
It was the thread that made sense of everything else.
What I Almost Missed Forever
If Michael hadn’t taken that trip to Israel, if that family hadn’t graciously shared their Sabbath table with a group of curious pastors, if he hadn’t come home with a fire in his eyes to try this…
I might have gone my whole life missing the spoon.
I might have continued assembling my faith piece by piece, wondering why something felt incomplete. Working harder at spiritual disciplines while missing the foundational rhythm that makes all the others possible.
Pursuing rest through achievement while the gift of rest sat unopened right in front of me.
Your Missing Spoon
I wonder what you might be missing that’s hiding in plain sight.
Maybe it’s not Sabbath. Maybe it’s something else entirely—a relationship that needs attention, a calling you’ve been avoiding, a truth about yourself you’re not ready to face.
But maybe it is Sabbath.
Maybe you’ve been so focused on the individual pieces of your spiritual life that you’ve missed the rhythm that connects them all. Maybe you’ve been working so hard to build a meaningful life that you’ve overlooked the practice that makes life meaningful.
Maybe the restlessness you feel, that sense of spiritual dryness despite all your efforts, is your soul’s way of pointing you toward the missing piece.
Step Back and Look
Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to see. Sometimes we’re so close to our own lives that we can’t see the patterns God is weaving.
Sometimes we need to step back from the puzzle and look at the whole picture.
This Friday, consider the possibility that there might be a spoon running through your life that you haven’t noticed yet.
Light a candle. Gather around your table. Create space for the sacred to interrupt the ordinary.
And see if you can spot what’s been there all along.
Ready to break your own productivity addiction? Take the Pressing Pause Challenge this week.
Want to understand the biblical foundation of the “spoon” that connects everything? Read God’s Encore Effect.
Discover how this simple practice can transform your entire family: Get Pressing Pause available on Amazon.
Michael and Selah Hirsch are the founders of Start Sabbath, helping leaders, achievers, and families around the world discover the gift of sacred rest.
Get in touch!
