The Next Chapter
The time Kevin Fairchild had spent in the hole was not well spent. He had been wearing his stylish Santa suit, fell into a huge gap in the sidewalk garnering a head wound and his back side sitting in a watery slop of what he didn't want to imagine. All he had wanted was to help Hannah Bakewell out with her Christmas mission. Why did doing that one thing have to be so hard? Pastor Ben Eden and police chief Clara Wren seemed to think it was a needed step in his journey.
He'd been a lot since coming to the Willow Creek / Maplewood area to start over. Being a spy in his father's do-good organization had been easy. Blend in. Don't be seen. Easy. But that life had also been hard on his emotions. He couldn't invest in people or relationships. He felt hardened. Being seen by others was a natural need of a human being. He wished his father had accounted for that in his Legacy model, the need to protect against darkness but also embrace the light. He'd spent his whole life with a big wall in front of him that said "don't look at me." And as a man pushing sixty, it was hard to tear that wall down entirely since he'd already trained the world to ignore him.
🌰 Maple Lane Devotional
The Next Chapter: Being Seen
📖 Scripture:
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house."
— Matthew 5:14–15 (NIV)
📝 Reflection from Maple Lane:
Kevin Fairchild had spent a lifetime behind the scenes—literally. Years of secrecy had taught him how to fade into the background, how to observe without being known. But when he took a fall—physically and spiritually—something cracked open. Not just in the sidewalk, but in his soul.
In the quiet town of Maplewood, nestled beside Willow Creek, being seen wasn’t a danger—it was a grace. The love from people like Hannah Bakewell, Pastor Ben Eden, and Chief Clara Wren didn’t demand performance. They simply saw him and stayed.
That hole he fell into? It wasn't the end. It was an awkward, wet, humbling beginning. A literal and spiritual shift. Sometimes God uses the fall to finally get our attention. Not to shame us—but to say, "You're still here. I still see you. And it's time to let others see you too."
🙏 Prayer:
Lord, I’ve hidden for so long, it’s hard to believe that being seen could be safe—let alone sacred. Tear down the walls I’ve built to protect myself, and teach me to stand in the light You’ve called me to. Give me the courage to believe there’s still a next chapter for me—one that begins with being known, loved, and used by You. Amen.
💭 Journal Prompts:
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Have you ever felt like you were safer when unseen? What led you to build that wall?
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Who in your life sees you—truly sees you—and stays? How can you let them in a little more?
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What "next chapter" might God be inviting you into, even if it feels awkward or uncomfortable at first?
🌳 Maple Lane Thought:
Sometimes the healing begins in the most unlikely places—like in a Santa suit, sitting in a puddle, realizing your heart's been in hiding. God doesn’t just redeem the mission… He redeems the messenger too.
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