Seeing More Than Just What’s in Front of You

One sentence that has shaped the way Robin Johnson, an urban educator with the Center for Urban Teaching, lives her life is, “If what you see is all you see, then you do not see all there is to see.” Robin didn’t learn that lesson easily, though. It was formed during a season when everything her family had built seemed to unravel, and yet God met them there.

When God Changed the Plan

In 2009, Robin’s husband came home with a message that would change the direction of their family’s life. “He said to me, the Lord is telling me to leave my job.” At the time, their life felt settled and secure. “We had two children. We had our home. We had multiple properties. And I even jokingly say we had the white picket fence. All we were missing was the dog.” They had built a stable life filled with careers, investments, and a home for their family. From the outside, everything looked exactly the way it was supposed to. So when Robin heard the news, her first reaction was practical: surely the disruption would be short. She assumed another job would come quickly.

But it didn’t.

The season stretched much longer than anyone expected. Eventually, they lost their properties. They experienced foreclosure and found themselves renting the very home they once owned. Yet even as their circumstances changed, their faith practices didn’t. “Even in that time, as we were going through the stripping of things, we were still serving, we were still in youth ministry, we were showing up at church and praying even more consistently,” Robin said.

Learning to Trust God’s Provision

The hardship forced the family to rely on God in ways they never had before. “We continually had to ask the question: Are we going to use the last of what we have for gas or for food?” Robin explained.

But again and again, provision arrived at just the right moment. “Things were being provided that people didn’t even know we needed. Looking back, Robin sees how God was reshaping their perspective, reminding them that security wasn’t found in their possessions or their plans.

As Robin and her husband continued praying and fasting about what came next, small signs of provision began appearing. Robin received multiple salary increases within a short period, something uncommon in education. A relative who was moving overseas offered them a car. Then, a friend invited them to see a house he was renovating. While visiting, he suggested they tour the vacant home next door. The house had been empty for five years after the housing market crash. When Robin and her husband stepped inside, they both felt the same thing: “This is our home.”  There was only one problem: they weren’t in a financial position to buy it. The owner, instead of turning them away, offered to rent the home to them while they rebuilt their credit. He handed them the keys and told them to take a year. Robin still remembers the strange feeling of that moment. “It’s not ours, and yet God is letting it already be ours.”

As time went on, more doors began opening. Robin’s husband was invited to speak and facilitate workshops for organizations, traveling and working in ways that brought new opportunities for their family. Through it all, Robin realized something profound about the season they had walked through. God had been deepening their faith. It was as if he were saying, “I’m gonna strip you of the comforts so that you are directly connected to me, and you know that you are not in control. It’s me who is giving the provisions that you have,” Robin said.

She often describes that season by saying, “We always talk about the roots of the foundation of skyscraper building, and you say the taller the building is, the deeper the roots have to go.” God was strengthening the roots of their faith so they could stand stronger in the future.

Looking Beyond What We See

Today, Robin carries that perspective into her work, coaching teachers and school leaders. Many educators step into classrooms feeling overwhelmed or unsure of their ability to make a difference. Robin encourages them to see the bigger picture of their influence. “Everything we do, even though we’re training adults, is for the kids,” Robin said.

Robin believes that sharing stories of God’s faithfulness matters. When people tell the truth about what they’ve experienced, it opens the door for others to recognize God’s work in their own lives. And sometimes the most important lesson is remembering that what we see right now isn’t the whole story. “If what you see is all you see, then you do not see all there is to see.” Even in seasons of loss, uncertainty, or waiting, God may be doing something deeper, strengthening roots that will support something far greater in the future.