Hide and Seek

Hide and seek is the most requested game in our house. All three of our kids love it. We play a variation of it almost everyday.

For our baby a simple game of peek-a-boo will send her into hysterics. I know, you know what I'm taking about :)
Our almost two year old demands a bit more of a challenge. When we are playing with her, we hide throughout the house, although we tend to leave an arm or a leg hanging out so that she can easily find us.
But, when it's just our big boy playing we pull out all the stops. He is such a veteran hide and seek player that we can actually find good spots to hide in.

Just the other day, he and I were playing while the girls were napping. It was his turn to count and I decided to hide in the front closet. Now, if he was a little younger I would have kept part of the door open. But, this time I shut the door tight and hid deep inside covered in our winter coats.

I could hear him counting ".....seven, eight, nine, ten......ready or not here I come!"

I giggled as I heard him talking to himself:

"Are you in here? No.
Are you in there? No.
Hmm....
Are you over there. No."

After awhile I could hear him starting to give up, so I gave a quick whistle from my hiding place. The sound completely perked up his search.

"Mommy?" he called "Mommy?"

I whistled again.
I heard him running around trying to figure out where the whistling was coming from.
As I continued whistling he was giggling and calling my name, getting closer and closer all the while barely containing his excitement. Finally he flew the closet door open and jumped into my arms.

His smile and giggles meant the world to me.
"Wow mommy" he said "That was a really good hiding spot! Let's play again!"

The more I think about it the more I'm convinced of the fact that:
God loves a good game of hide and seek too.
When I was a new Christian it was as if he was playing peek-a-boo. He would hide his face for a couple seconds and then peek-a-boo he was right there again. Just like my baby adores this game I happily played along too.
The more I matured though the longer he would hide. At first he would hide and I could easily find him. It was as if he had left an arm or foot out, and like my big girl I could easily find him.

Lately though the game has been tougher. He has found a good spot. Just as I giggled in the hallway and loved hearing my son's little voice calling my name, I think that God is doing the same thing.

God desires intimacy and wants to be pursued.

As much as I savored hearing my son call for me it also broke my heart not to answer him- especially when he was getting upset that he couldn't find me. But if I did, it wouldn't help him grow and think more creatively. It wouldn't be as fun. So to with God.
You see, I've realized that God loves to be chased and He loves to be found. I think that the harder it is to find him the more sweet the victory. Now, just like when my big boy started to get frustrated and disappointed and I started to whistle, I think God does the same thing.
When we feel like he may be far away he starts to whistle so we can get new excitement and know the general direction in which to find him.
Remember, He says:

"Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened"
Matthew 7:7

I believe him. He always answers. Sometimes it is not in the way I expected, sometimes it's not in my timing. Sometimes he is calling me to look deeper, to be more tenacious. He is calling me to keep searching even when I feel like giving up. He will start whistling and I will find him giggling in the closet with his arms open wide ready for me to run right into them.