“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”—Jeremiah 29:13
Peanut loves to play a version of hide and seek where I throw a toy down the stairs, then quickly hide while she fetches the toy. Given the fact that I have about three seconds to hide, she is very good at finding me and quickly learned the possible hiding spots I have. It’s a lot of fun, and I think it helped build our relationship quickly when I first got her.
But usually after a few rounds—sometimes ten, sometimes two—Peanut is sick of me being hidden. She wants to keep playing fetch down the stairs, but she doesn’t want me to hide anymore. Sometimes when we set out to play a game of stairs fetch, she is concerned right off the bat that I’ll hide.
She expresses this concern by boycotting fetching altogether (even though she looks after the toy longingly) or by looking behind her every couple of steps to make sure I haven’t left my spot. And I know I can usually boost her confidence by talking to her as she runs.
There are times when we’re so confident in our faith that it’s OK that we can’t see or feel God in our lives. It’s OK when it feels like he’s hiding for a while, because we know he’s not hard to find. There are other times when we feel like we need to check every couple of steps and make sure he’s still there.
I think God knows the difference. Just as I do my best to help Peanut know I’m there, and I never play hide and seek when she’s acting like she doesn’t want me to hide, I think God reaches out to show us he’s there when we need him the most. He also knows that it’s good for our faith when sometimes, he’s just behind the bedroom door. Not far, not hard to find, but it takes a little faith to know he’s still an active part of our lives.
What helps you know God is there in your life? Do you feel more like he is hiding or present right now?
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