Hide and Seek


Seek God every morning. Trust God every moment.
--Lailah Gifty Akita


I was never very good at hide-and-seek as a child. When it was my turn to hide, I would duck behind a bush—only to find someone else already there, shoving me away. Go find your own spot! And when I did find a good hiding place, invariably, without fail, I would sneeze. Or cough. Found you!

Then it would be my turn to seek. I would hide my eyes . . . count to ten. . . . Ready or not! Here I come! I would look and look, until finally, in desperation, I would return “Home”—only to see my friends casually lounging, waiting for me.

What? WHAT?? We’ve been here all along! You must be blind.

It seems, somehow, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Only now, some days, it’s God I play with. I can be having one of those days, wondering, Why do I feel so alone, so empty? God, I just can’t seem to find you—anywhere!

Then I turn around, and there’s a stately buck in the backyard, blinking wide-eyed as he munches on dandelions. The sound of children laughing and calling out—playing hide-and-seek, perhaps—reaches my ears. The rumble of distant thunder, a whiff of rain on the cool spring breeze, and it hits me:

God, you’ve been there all along. I must be blind.



Monday During your quiet time today, pray for a teachable spirit. Remind yourself that God alone is God.     Acts 11:1-10

Tuesday Is there someone you know who could use a ride to the grocery store, or would appreciate help with a young child for an hour? These are great ways to love your neighbor. John 13:34-35

Wednesday Think for a moment: How many of your neighbors do you know? How many do you know well? Pray for opportunity for conversations. Acts 11:11-18

Thursday Do you know someone who has experienced loss-- of a job, property or a loved one? Offer prayer. Consider making a phone call to check in. Psalm 148

Friday As the seasons change and summer draws near, spend some time outdoors simply appreciating the beauty and resiliency of God’s creation. Give thanks. Psalm 27:4

Saturday As you spend time today praying for yourself, ponder how you feel about not knowing, or not always finding. Pray, again, for a teachable spirit, and listen. Isaiah 65:17-25

Sunday As part of the life of your church, pray today for the vision and future of Christ’s church and its leaders; celebrate the saints who have brought us this far. Revelation 21:1-6

Waiting taught me, I can’t have it in my way, but in God’s way. 
–Lailah Gifty Akita



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stepping back. . . .

Image
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and with a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,  even if your whole world seems upset.  –St. Francis de Sales This week, I invite you to simply sit in a quiet space with words of hope and promise, and to remember, as Julian of Norwich knew, that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well . It has been a long, difficult season. Advent and the coming of the Christ is just around the corner. Peace and comfort to your spirit. Monday   “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-30 Tuesday  “Is this not the kind of fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6-9 Wednesday  “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
Read more

It's that time again. . . .

When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised changed, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness?  Whatever it is,  it’s welcome. –Kristin Armstrong No matter what part of the world you call home, this time of year brings big changes. While my friends Down Under are watching sings of new growth emerge from the earth as temperatures rise, here in Ohio, the leaves are turning from green to gold and orange, red and brown. The winds have taken on a chill; clouds hang heavy, like soggy cotton, reminding us that soon and very soon, we are going to see the snow . Always different, yet somehow, the same. We depend on God’s eternal ways, and trust that again this year, winter will follow autumn, just like it should. So why is it, as we anticipate and appreciate changes like these, when it comes to so many things in life we pull up short, wrinkle our noses and say No! No change! I like things just the way they are! It’s t
Read more

Starting again

“This, then, is how you should pray:" --Matthew 6:9a I have been really sensing lately that there is another blog inside me, one focused on prayer.  Oh, I know-- those elephants are all about prayer. Heck, they  are  prayer. And I will continue there, as well. But what I've been feeling is that people-- maybe you--  have always been told, "You should pray," or "Pray about that." But maybe you feel your prayers aren't "good enough," or that it's just too hard, too embarrassing, too [fill in the blank] to pray. Maybe it feels like no one really talks about how  to pray-- except, of course, for Jesus, in Matthew 6 and a couple parallel passages where we are given what's come to be known as The Lord's Prayer. And it is a great prayer. And there are other great prayers, and other ways to pray that do not involve rote. So "my plan" here is to share, hopefully on a weekly or semi-regular basis, a lot of
Read more