A Renoir in Grandma’s Attic
Hidden treasures are a romantic idea of discovery, wonder, and value. In a typical lifetime, we aren't given many opportunities to uncover these rare surprises, but when we do, it's glorious. Kerry has always seemed like a bit of a treasure hunter, seeing the beauty and wonder in ordinary things and taking the time to contemplate the depth and value of their meaning. As her cousin, I have witnessed this essentially her entire life. She believed every person and thing possessed hidden meaning, value, and wonder that she simply could not wait to discover. As a nonbeliever until I was 40, I often thought that perhaps Kerry was overenthusiastic or tended to exaggerate the greatness of the object of her current contemplation. Then, at 40, I had my own encounter with Christ, called her immediately, and she confirmed this fantastical experience with words. I realized that it was a gift she was given. Putting the unseen, fantastical wonders of this life into words that can be understood. She is indeed a treasure hunter.
Over the course of the next eight years, I had the privilege of walking beside Kerry as her ministry partner, cousin, and sister in Christ. It has been a wild ride. I watched her say yes to Christ when I would have said no, rely on Christ when I would have relied on myself, and seek Him when I would have blamed Him. She unlocked for me the ways of the unseen. She gave words to things that my heart knew but could not articulate. This was not the magic carpet ride you are imagining. Most of our ride came with betrayal, job loss, rejection, exhaustion, and pain. God made me a witness to a humble, reliant, and authentic kind of faith, one that requires a trust in His faithfulness, which I knew I did not possess.
From this valley in Kerry's life, she felt called by God to finally assemble all her words of His ways into a book to be shared. She didn't believe she had it in her, but decided His will and His power were enough for her. She was also convinced that I was a necessary piece to this project, but I had some doubts. What could I bring? A brand new believer who said no more than yes, struggled with self-reliance, knew a few of God's ways but not many, and had some serious trust issues with the unseen. Nonetheless, we began.
It turned out that the roles of encourager, reader, and Christianese detector were necessary roles for the writing of The Way of Becoming. I still marvel at Kerry's intelligence, vocabulary, curiosity, teaching ability, and storytelling. She could teach something new to even the oldest, most faithful among us, and yet, if I couldn't understand it, she rewrote it until I did. Sometimes that meant using a different, more relatable story to emphasize a point; sometimes it meant replacing a big word or a Christian word not often used by a layman like me. What emerged from this work are the incredible tools that built Kerry's faith and the ability for anyone who reads her words to use these tools themselves. I knew we had something special, still mostly hidden from view, that to me felt like the keys to the kingdom.
Now that The Way of Becoming has made its way into the hands of readers, its following built by God Himself, with most readers never having a window into the treasure hunter that is Kerry Hasenbalg, a beautiful thing has happened. God, like a hidden treasure within their story, is being revealed to them. Kerry wanted this book to be understood by everyone who reads it, including children, teens, nonbelievers, seekers, new believers, and those ancient in the faith. I am hearing about the self-discovery of God inside of people’s lived experiences, and faith is being built, rebuilt, and revived. The Way of Becoming has provided readers with a roadmap, tools, and inspiration to become treasure hunters. As this book is passed from person to person, as we always thought it would be, over the course of many years and decades, we hope that it transcends generations. It delights me to think that long after we are gone and copies of this book are left behind, our children’s children will discover it, and it will be like finding a Renoir in their grandmother’s attic.
