Hopscotch, Tag, and Hide and Seek… These three classics compose what we might consider the trinity of playground games. They are truly timeless in their appeal and entertainment value. In the past year, I have spent an increased amount of time with our youth group and have been reminded of how much fun Hide and Seek, in particular, can be. While the games our students play are often called things like Underground Church and Sardines and do have slight variations to the rules, they are both derivations of the original.
Since our mission trip last summer, it seems we get almost weekly requests to play a version of Hide and Seek. I have been impressed with the hiding ability of some of our students. At least twice, we have had to send adult leaders through the church to get well-hidden students to emerge from their places of concealment. There are others, however, who seem more interested in getting found by their friends.
We all want to be seen, to be known, and for someone to care that we’re there.
As I was watching the students play a few weeks ago, it brought back memories of playing Hide and Seek with my own children when they were younger. It was one of their favorite games to play, but they were less than exceptional at said activity. (The only place my children, and my son in particular, were good at Hide and Seek was when we were at Walmart and their mother and I were unaware we were playing!) My kids seemed to understand the concept in principle, but struggled in practice. I, of course, would be “it” and they would run off, full of giggles, to try and find the perfect hiding spot. I would complete the prescribed countdown and loudly announce, “READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!” I would then begin my search, often asking aloud, yet rhetorically, where my kids could be. Almost without fail, one of my children would jump out of their hiding spot and yell, “HERE I AM, DADDY!” Hiding was fun, but they really enjoyed being found.
I think these stories about our youth ministry and my children hold important truths for our own lives. We all play the game from time to time and try to keep pieces of ourselves hidden away, but down deep inside what all of us want most is to be found. We all want to be seen, to be known, and for someone to care that we’re there.
Psalm 139 tells us that as good as we may think we are at hiding, God will always find us. We can run, but we can’t hide. The psalmist writes,
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
And the light become night around me
Even the darkness will not be dark to You…
God has had eyes on us from before we were born and will keep them on us through our lives and into the great beyond.
The psalmist goes on to reveal that we have never been outside of the gaze of Almighty God. God has had eyes on us from before we were born and will keep them on us through our lives and into the great beyond. We are, all of us, “fearfully and wonderfully made.” And, cliché as it may sound, God has a plan and a purpose for each of us.
Ultimately, our attempts at hiding are futile and unhelpful, and the person we hurt most in the process is ourselves. Without question we would all be better served if rather than working so hard to hide from God and from each other we would put our energy into being found. Perhaps we could learn something from toddlers throughout history, who rather than hiding are all too eager to jump out and be found. God has a plan for your life and there is a place for you in His family. Hide and Seek is a classic game, but perhaps it would be better if we stop playing games with God and step into the light of His love in accordance with His truth.
