The middle of the night. I’m wide awake, with Beth beside me. Sleep is not returning. Thinking about my sweet wife, thanking God for her, I lean over and kiss her lightly on the forehead.

What value was in that kiss?

She had no idea I kissed her. Indeed, I tried hard not to disturb her sleep. The kiss was brief; my lips barely grazed her.

So the value was not in communicating to her my love.

As related in her 1974 book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, at six years of age Annie Dillard would take pennies and place them in random places, so that others would have the gift of finding them. She didn’t want to know who found the pennies. And she didn’t want anyone to know she put them there. She simply had joy thinking about the little delight others would have in finding pennies.

Similarly, I didn’t want Beth to be aware of the kiss. But dissimilarly, I wasn’t looking forward to a joyful surprise I wouldn’t witness. The act was sufficient in itself.

Why?

Expressing love in ways that others see surely is valuable – God does that all the time, in provision of good gifts, in reconciling us to Himself through Jesus, in millions of other ways. When we show others genuine love, we are shining forth with the image of God. It is good for others to see that image. We are fulfilling a purpose of our creation.

But there is value in kissing Beth even if the act goes unnoticed. For God does that all the time also. In distant galaxies, on far planets, in the depths of the sea, in the tiniest cell – God is at work. Yes, He often acts in ways that bring Him praise. But He also works in ways that are unseen, yet similarly display Who He is. And we cannot know all those works. He just does them. Again and again. He displays Who He is – for Father, Son, and Spirit alone to see.

There’s a saying: Character is what you are when no one is looking.

God displays His character when no one else is looking. When no one else can possibly look.

Do the same. Show who you are in Christ. Love when no one is looking. Shine forth with His image every minute of every day.

And if you’d like to hide some pennies, that’s good too.