Hide And Seek

When we were children, we often played the simple game, "hide and seek". We hid under the kitchen sink, under the bed, or in a closet. As adults, our avoidance strategies become more complex. We let the answering machine record the phone call. We peek from behind a curtain to see who was ringing the doorbell. We delete the email.

However, there is a more serious time when we hide: when we do something patently wrong. We avoid church because we don't want to feel more guilty than we already do. We fear the church gossips will whisper our transgression so loudly that all will hear. We fear being shunned by the congregation, the elders, the minister, and God. We fear we'll be told not to come back, so we just don't go. In essence, we hide and thus are robbed of the blessing of God's forgiveness.

God doesn't behave like fallible people. Instead of shunning us, God constantly seeks us. Think of Adam and Eve in the verdant garden, Elijah hiding in the cave, and the lost son:

Genesis 3:8-9 – Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" (NIV)

1 Kings 19:13 – When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (NIV)

Luke 15:20b – But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (NIV)

We may wander away from church, but no matter the distance, God still searches until He finds us. Prodigal sons and daughters that we are, God seeks us even before we know we are lost. Like Jesus taught in the parable of the lost son and the loving Father, as we hang our heads in shame, admitting our guilt, we experience God's forgiving love and hugging acceptance.

For sure, God constantly seeks us and welcomes us when He finds us.

Prayer: Father God, we admit we tend to wander off on our own. We tend to get lost. Please find us when we wander, forgive us, and accept us, for we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.