Hide and Seek

This morning Lindy asked me to play hide and seek. This is how hide and seek goes with my three year old: “Mommmmmmmyyy…..come find meeeeee!” she says to me from the living room to the kitchen. So I walk the couple of steps between rooms and I can see her from her chest down sitting on the couch, but she has her head and shoulders covered up by the cushions on the back of the couch. And she is saying, ”Mommy……come find me…..come find me over HERE!” So I pretend not to see her and act like her location is a surprise, even though she told me exactly where she was from the moment I entered the room. And we laugh and giggle and hug and she is absolutely radiant. Then it is my turn to hide. I have her go in her room to “count” and Igo around the corner to the other side of the refrigerator where she can easily find me, but not so much that I am in the middle of the room.  (And actually as I did this today, I was filled with that childish rush of glee that I got when I played hide and seek and it was my turn to hide when I was little!) So she comes running from her room and begins tip-toeing into the kitchen where she turns to see my arm and then my face peek around to meet her eyes.  OH the excitement! She is just giddy that she found Mommy and she rushes to my arms with a hug and a kiss and says, “Let’s do it again!”

 As I was standing there waiting for her to find me I thought about how it is with me and God. How beautiful it would be if, when I think I am hiding, I actually call to Him and said “Come find me over here….” like a very young child would do. But no, when I’ve tried to hide from God, I’ve run in such a way as to hide my whole self from him, from others, and even from me.  Oh, during those times, I was “around”, happy, busy, the mask I wore was my usual hiding place, but really I was doing everything I could to keep everyone out. And all the while God, the gentle Father, was just waiting, looking for an opportunity to pursue me, His daughter who was hurting and alone. Just as I would with my children. And I praise Him that He has set circumstances in play in my life over and over again that turned me to Him and showed me over and over that I could just run into His loving arms. To receive grace, mercy, comfort, forgiveness, compassion, understanding, all that He is He gives and gives.

He is like the Parent who “hides” in plain sight on the other side of the refrigerator. When I go tip-toeing to look for Him, He is easy to find and so welcoming and loving and delighted that I looked. But I have to seek. He is there, waiting for me, but if I am not looking, not really paying attention, I will miss Him. And I am the one who misses out on the blessing. I am so grateful to serve a God who is everywhere all the time, sees everything, everywhere….knows exactly where I am in every way. So thankful that He makes Himself so available……when I ask, when I say to find me over heeeeeere….and He wants me to ask, and to seek Him….to look for Him in everything. Not because He wants to make things difficult for me, but to show me, through whatever pain or joy or circumstance, that He is Love. That He is in control. I don’t have to know why things happen. I don’t know that I really care anymore. I only need seek Him, for He isn’t hiding, and place my trust and my will in His care, and He will always tend to the rest.

And because He does that for me, I am then able to turn His blessings and share them with others….helping them see how easy He is to find. If allow His light, His grace to shine through my life, warts and all, people will see Him when they see me.  I thank God that today I don’t have to hide from Him or you or myself…..and pray that my faith in some way will point others to Him….but He is in control of that, too.  If I live in His grace and His will in thanksgiving each day I will draw closer to Him. And the seeking becomes my joy. Wonder where I’ll see Him next!

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13