Hide-n-Seek

It'd Be Hard to Hide in This Hall

1 Chronicles 16:10 NIV

"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice."

I held my breath in the dark closet listening for Russell's footsteps. The hardest part was not bursting out into laughter as I pictured him yelling in terror as I jumped out as he walked by me.

I'd been a single mom for a year now, and Russell and I had adjusted to life without a television set. We lived in an old home with wooden floors. The kitchen floor actually inclined about five to ten degrees, so if it ever snowed in the house, we could have skied in the kitchen for entertainment.

Russell was four years old and we found a variety of ways to entertain ourselves.  We listened to books on tape, we read books, we acted out books, we learned Morse Code, we sang songs, we walked around the neighborhood, and we played hide-n-seek. 

Many rooms in the house were empty, and in the room beside the kitchen, which looked like it had once been a dining room, there was a storage closet.  Neither of us had ever hidden in there, but for some reason it crossed my mind to crouch in there this night.

Russell searched for me in my usual hiding places and called for me to come out. I kept quiet. I listened carefully as the wooden floors squeaked as he approached the dining room. Just as his feet were opposite the closet door, I opened it and jumped out.

His face was worth a million dollars to me. He looked like he had seen a ghost.  He screamed and ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. I chased after him until we both ended up in my room together laughing at the joke I played on him.

The next time he was "it," he hid in the closet, and I screamed and ran from him. We played this game for hours.

God also likes me to search for Him, but this is no game. This is serious. He doesn't hide from me in a closet, either.

He is visible if I seek Him.  His hands are outstretched, and He welcomes me to join Him.

All I have to do is move in His direction and not run away and hide. His hands are opened for me.

When I reach Him, we will rejoice together like parent and child in the glory of His love.

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Thank you, Lord, for not hiding, but for actively seeking me.