Hide and Seek
By Mary Frances Ginty
February, 2013
"Ok I'm it!" Says the seeker,
"Everyone go hide!" You scurry around frantically searching for the
best hiding spot as the seeker begins to count. "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10...
Oh where should you go? Under the table? In the bathtub? Behind the cupboard?
" 16, 17, 18,19, 20, Ready or NOT here I come!" Oh no, times up, the
seeker is coming and you still haven't found your hiding spot! Where should you
go? Quick you cover yourself up in mom's clean laundry and hope that the seeker
won't notice that the pile is moving in rhythm with your breathing. Ah the good
old days as a child, I have such fond memories! Do you remember playing hide
and seek as a kid?! I LOOOOOOVED playing that game...ACTUALLY I still do!!!
One thing that I realize now looking back, is that there were always TWO
kinds of hiders.
First and most common amongst the hiders were
the people like ME. I was that person that you could spot out a MILE away because
I didn't quite fit into my hiding spot and there was always either a leg or arm
left sticking out of my hiding spot. Or IF I was actually hidden all the way
and covered where no one could see me, when the seeker would walk by me WITHOUT
seeing me, a giggle would almost ALWAYS accidentally escape out of me, immediately
LETTING them know EXACTLEY where I was! OR if I did manage to stay hidden
really well, and I was completely hidden, and I managed to stay quiet, after
about 20 minutes of hiding and NOT being found I would grow IMPATIENT. I would
get worried, I would wonder what happened? Did they forget about me? I couldn't
take NOT being found, so I would come out of my hiding spot, hoping to be seen
by the seeker, like HELLO, look at me! Then I would make a run for it to base,
but OF COURSE, I was NEVER a fast runner and always got CAUGHT before making it
to base!
ANNNNNND then there were the OTHER hiders!
The hiders who were so slick, so quiet, so calm you hardly even hear them
breathing and these hiders ALWAYS had THE BEST spots for hiding. These hiders
didn't wait till the last minute to find their hiding spot. They had already scanned
their surroundings and had their hiding spot all planned out. When it was time
to hide they didn't hesitate, they didn't look around at the other hiders to
see where they were doing, they didn't try to hide with the other hiders. It
didn't matter to these hiders what everyone else was doing, they had a plan and
they were determined to stick with it. These hiders never gave up and they
NEVER came out from their hiding spot before they were found. It didn't matter
HOW uncomfortable their hiding spot was, they were patient and they waited and
waited and waited and WAITED, till FINALLY they were FOUND by the seeker!!!!
These hiders WERE RARE, whereas the GIGGLERS, like me, were ABUNDANT!!!
However, there were ALSO two kinds of
seekers, there were the seekers that after a little while of searching and NOT
being able to find the hider they would throw their hands up in defeat and say
OKAY, I give up, come out of your hiding spot and YOU WIN!!! OR there were the
DETERMINED seekers!!! These seekers REFUSED to give up!!! They would tear apart
every part of the house, closets, rooms, cupboards, drawers, they would look up
down, inside, outside, on the roof, the chimney, trash barrels, EVERYWHERE!!!
They didn't care what they had to do, or what they had to put themselves
through, they were NOT going to give up, they were going to FIND that hider!!!
They were JUST as patient and JUST as determined as that hider AND finally find
them, and the SEEKER would say, there you are, I FOUND YOU!!! And the hider
would just smugly say, "WELL ITS ABOUT TIME!!!"
I got to thinking about how love, TRUE LOVE,
between a Godly man and woman, is like a really good game of HIDE and SEEK! The
MAN is the SEEKER and the WOMAN is the HIDER! Now when I say HIDER, I do NOT
mean as in the whole, "Hard-to-get" game. I've always FAILED
miserably with that! People say, oh you have to ignore him, I'm like okaaaaay,
we're going on TWO YEARS now and he STILL doesn't know that I exist! I just
have difficulty snubbing people, by nature I am a very friendly person, it
doesn't matter WHO you are, if you say hi to me, or even if you don't and you
just walk by me, I will MOST likely smile and say HI to you! That’s JUST ME!!!
:)
So, when I say that LOVE is like a good game
of HIDE and SEEK, I’m NOT talking about like a visible, physical game that you
can see with your own eyes. I'm talking about a SPIRITUAL game of HIDE and
SEEK!!! Buuuuut of course if its spiritual it’s NOT really a game. See I found
this quote some years ago and have absolutely LOOOOOVED it!!! It says...
“A
woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ, that a man should have to seek Him
first to find her.” Maya Angelou
Isn't that a BEAUTIFUL quote?! I just LOVE IT!!!
There are so many things that want to steal our hearts away. We can worry so
much about the safety of our hearts and who we decide to love. Is he REALLY a
good guy? Is he REALLY a man of God? There are so many what IFs in
relationships, you want to guard your heart and keep it safe but are you strong
enough? Is there ANY place that is truly safe enough? How do you know for sure?
Christ, is the answer for where we should hide our hearts. Think about it
ladies, could there POSSIBLY be a better, safer MORE secure hiding place than
IN JESUS??? I think NOT!!!
The Bible says in Proverbs 31:10..."Who
can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above
rubies." The word of God says, a truly VIRTUOUS woman is
RARE and she is HARD to find!!! The Bible is LITERALLY asking WHO could possibly
find her?! Meanwhile, concerning the man, the Bible says in Proverbs 18:22..."Whoso
findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord. “Both
of these scriptures in Proverbs refer to THE WOMAN being FOUND!!!
Ladies, imagine with me, your heart
ACTUALLY being hidden in Christ! How could a woman possibly hide her heart in
God? In my mind I see a woman's heart being so enraptured in God's spirit that
it is literally hidden there in Him. Sheltered, shielded, veiled, roofed,
enclosed, guarded, embraced and bonded in His presence. She covers it well in
praise and worship to her savior! Every time she prays, God pulls her in a
little bit more. She fasts and He tucks her under shadow of His wings. She
pours her heart out to him humbly in a spirit of brokenness and God enfolds her
a little closer. She submits and obeys to her God-given authorities and God's
arm of protection tightens around her. She clothes herself in modest apparel,
wrapping herself more into the seclusion of her hider. She holds about her a
meek and quiet spirit, keeping from drawing attention to her hiding spot. Her
face is covered with shamefacedness and sobriety.
When she is lonely, he swathes her tightly in
his everlasting love. She is constricted from the danger and harm of false
seekers by obedience to His Word. She is bound to her hiding place by a promise
of purity. She is not afraid, because he is the light for her path, her rock,
her fortress, her refuge, her deliverer, her mighty strong tower and her way
maker. She is gracious to her fellow hiders, refraining from jealousy and petty
squabbles. She uses The Word of God as a mirror to see the reflection of her
heart. The longings of her heart are concealed by her discretion, because she
understands what her hider told her, "Commit thy way unto the
LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." (Psalm
37:5)
She is chaste in her ways, faithful to her
seeker, wherever he is, she remains in her haven of Christ. It’s NOT always
easy for her to stay in her hiding place, sometimes she feels awkward,
sometimes she gets a little uncomfortable, sometimes she just wants to JUMP out
and say, HELLLLOOOO...I’m RIGHT HERE!!! LOOK AT ME!!! Buuuut she doesn't do
that! Instead she is patient, she trusts in the security of her hiding place
and she waits and she waits and she WAITS!!! She is reassured of the protection
that comes from her hiding place, because she knows that the one she is hiding
in is looking out for what is best for her! Then, as she gives God her all, as
she breaks her alabaster box and gives Him EVERYTHING she's got, God is pleased
with her, she finds favor in his sight. As she continues to please Him, I like
to imagine in my mind, that God, He just smiles to himself and says, This WOMAN
is a GOOOOOD HIDER and it’s going to take ONE MIGHTY GOOD SEEKER, to FIND THIS
ONE!!!
Meanwhile, MAN, he is over there SEEKING God,
for his hidden treasure, for WOMAN, for his WIFE. He doesn't go about his
search by taking it into his own hands and doing things his way. He remembers
what he was taught, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew
6:33) So he begins his quest by searching for her daily in prayer! He looks
through the whole entire Bible, he is tearing apart the alter in desperation to
find her. He hopes that if he builds a high enough alter of praise and worship
to God, that some way, somehow, he can climb to the top and catch sight of her.
He offers sacrifices of Thanksgiving to God, hoping that he'll get a little
closer to finding her! During his endeavor to find her, man makes a covenant to
God with his eyes, vowing to put no evil before them.
He resists temptation from false hiders,
seeking for the one that is truly hidden in God! He stands for holiness,
unchanging in what he believes, unmovable in his convictions, he takes
direction and council from the spiritual leaders in his life advising and
guiding him in his quest. When he is wrong he takes correction and chastisement
well, redirecting his steps. He practices self-control, self-denial and treats
all hiders carefully with respect, valuing all virtue with esteem and regard,
willing to defend them as one would a sister. He is hardworking, consistent,
steadfast and dependable to the work of The Lord. He is tough in upholding righteousness,
but gentle in his regard towards others.
Sometimes he stumbles while trying to find
her, but he refuses to get stuck in the ruts and ditches of life. He continues
on, magnifying The Word of God to guide his way. He understands that, "The
steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his
way." (Psalm 37:23) ANNNND Oh its sooooo hard, she has hidden
herself so well...he can't seem to find her anywhere! He toils through hard
times, refusing to get stuck in the ruts and ditches of life. When he trips,
when he falls, he pulls himself back up, He doesn't halter his journey
wallowing in self-pity. He doesn't explore different routes or new ideas, he
stays on the straight and narrow path abstaining from pit stops along the way.
He is diligent in his labor towards God. There are times he just wants to throw
his hands up in frustration and say FORGET IT God, I GIVE UP!!! She is TOO GOOD
of a hider, there is NO WAY I could ever find her.
Oh
but NO, he doesn't do that, he may be feeling frustrated, BUUUUT he refuses to
give up, because he is DETERMINED...because he is a sojourner on a journey, he
has a goal, a destination, a made-up mind, he won't be swayed by false hiders,
HE MUST FIND HER!!! So instead he looks through the WHOLE ENTIRE BIBLE again.
He studies to show himself approved before God. He examines his heart daily to
see if there is anything that would stand in the way between him and God. Man
begins to get closer to finding her. He can't see her, but he can hear her
breathing, he knows she is right there, so he prays for God open his eyes and
let him see her, to reveal his will to him.
He searches a little deeper in God
by adding fasting to his prayer, and as he seeks God for her in fasting, his
carnal flesh begins to die and humbly in a spirit of brokenness, he cries out
to The Lord in desperation and begs God to help him find his wife. And as man
prays, and seeks, God approves of his ways. And the more man prays, and
the more he cries and the more he breaks before God, THE CLOSER MAN gets to
God, and THE CLOSER man gets to God, THE CLOSER man gets to finding her,
BECAUSE she is HIDDEN in GOD! Then ONE DAY man gets SOOOO CLOSE TO GOD it
happens, he SEES HER...HIS WIFE!!! He can't believe it, she is right
there, RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM and she is lovely, her countenance is BEAUTIFUL,
she is womanly, feminine,
everything he could have ever hoped for. He knows he must DECLARE it, he
must claim his treasure.
"That’s it, he says,
"I FOUND YOU! Your everything I've been looking for, I WON! YOUR
MINE!!! And woman, she just smiles sweetly and says, "You
FINALLY found me! I've been RIGHT here, WAITING patiently for YOU this whole
entire time!" And MAN, he just smiles endearingly at her and says, "well,
your ONE GOOD hider Woman, and you found yourself ONE good hiding spot!"
"Honestly, says Woman, "it wasn't always easy.
"Sometimes I wondered if you would EVER see me, "there were times I
so badly wanted to come out of hiding," she says, "but I
knew, that God would keep me if I just trusted in him, I knew that I must
stay!" Man says, "I'm so proud of you for hiding so well, I
am very pleased that you waited for me. She smiles at man adoringly and
says, "I knew that the RIGHT seeker would be determined and the RIGHT
seeker would search my hiding place till he found me, and the RIGHT seeker
would obtain favor from my hider allowing him to see me when he chose to allow
it."
Then Man, he says, "but you know, it feels so good right here, right
where I found you," then he takes her hand in his and says, "I
say we construct a memorial here so that we never forget where we found each
other. Then I say we just stay right here where I found you, and build a life
here, TOGETHER in Christ." So, Man and Woman become husband and wife!
They make an alter to God in their home, and they live, JOYFULLY ever after,
serving Christ together till their dying day.
ANNNND that my friends IS the kind of HIDE
AND SEEK game that I am talking about!!! Can you think of anything sweeter?
Anything BETTER??? ANYTHING more ROMANTIC??? That's the kind of love
story I want to have!!!
I may have been the EASIEST person to
find in hide and seek as a child, but as a woman of God, I want to be a
good hider! What kind of a man would search God for the heart of a woman?!
It wouldn't be just any man. What better way to find your life
companion than in God. If you find each other, IN CHRIST, you'll live your
lives right there together in Him.
Hiders and seekers, remember your roles. Now,
who's READY to play??? It’s time to PRAY, fast, read your Bibles and PRAY SOME
MORE!!!
1 ,2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10...LETS PLAY HIDE AND SEEK!!!
"Trust
in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In
all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
