I love watching the kids play hide and seek.
There’s always a bit of frenzy when the counter starts counting, “One. Two. Three.” Baby, you better run! She can only count to twenty.
The little ones all clump together and try to stay up with the oldest, who has no hope of hiding alone. One kid always hides out in the open, daring the counter to chase them down. There’s another crouching behind the brick mailbox. Two more are on the other side of the car. Do we really call this hiding? The best is when someone finds the perfect spot to hide, and they stay there. Because it’s in the staying in the right spot that makes the hiding place a success. As soon as you give in to the lure of the chase outside, you lose your cover … and then you have to run.
Though apparently all grown up, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the idea of hiding – to the game of hide and seek – and I’ve come to a conclusion: I still really like to hide.
Actually, I think we all do.
We don’t have to read that far into THE story to find someone hiding.
… the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye … she took some and ate it … she also gave some to her husband … and he ate it … Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
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?” Genesis 3:6-9
Adam and Eve sinned, so they hid {from God} among the trees.
I’ve seen my kids attempt to hide behind a tree. Not so sneaky. So, I imagine Adam and Eve, sucking in and thinking skinny thoughts behind the truck of a tree, hiding from God.
If we could take a closer look, however, I think we’d see a whole lot more hiding going on behind those trees than we first thought. How do I know? Because I’ve been the one hiding. In sin, I’ve hid too. Behind guilt. Shame. Fear. Doubt. Pride.
It’s not pretty behind the trees. Hiding there feels more like prison than a safe place. Yet, we choose to stay there, crouched up and miserable.
But God …
{my two favorite words when linked together}
… He knows our propensity to hide, so He graciously provides for us another place: The perfect hiding spot. Behind another tree.
Yes. He gave us the cross, and a whole new place to hide.
Now we have a choice to make.
We can stay hidden in our sin – trapped by guilt, held down by shame, surrounded by fear. Or we can respond to God’s call, “Where are you?”
Come out of hiding, my love, and let me find you – forgive you – heal you – free you. Come out and be made whole. Step up to the cross. Be washed by my blood. Hide in my grace. Find mercy here.
It’s remarkable when you think about it.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3
{Did you know that when we choose Jesus – when we choose to hide in the cross – His death is our death too. When He was buried, we were buried too. And when He rose from the grave, we rose up from the grave too. It sounds crazy, I know, but the Bible says it’s true. Check out Romans 6:4-8.}
So now we get to live the hidden life – one completely wrapped up in the life of Jesus. No more shame or guilt.
We only hide in grace.
But remember, the best hiding spots are only great when we decide to stay there – when we ignore the lure of the chase going on outside.
How do you practice staying hidden in Jesus?
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