I’m Hiding
“And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”
Matthew 18:3, NIV
My daughter is about to turn 2 and her personality is starting to show. Was I that bossy at her age?
Often, when I get home from work, she’s already in the middle of playtime. I must hurry to catch up with whatever mission she’s already set her mind to doing. The other day, I found her upstairs with my wife, Megan, and she had one of her mom’s shirts over her head. I’m unsure if she was trying to be a ghost or just wanted to walk in the dark, but then she started going under our desk and saying, “I’m hiding.”
This wasn’t news to us since we were right there and could see her. She just wanted to make sure we knew her intentions. A few moments later, from under the desk she asked, “Where are you?” As if telling us what we should be asking her.
I wonder if this is what God sees when we try to run away from His presence. We, as His children, may try to go away from Him or think that we hide from Him. However, all He sees is a child with an oversized shirt on one’s head under a desk. We may get angry at God and lash out at times of legitimate distress. We may also feel like we are in a spiritual desert and haven’t felt the warmth of His love in a long time. However, even when we think we are distant from Him or we are trying to stay away from Him, I’m starting to think that all He sees is a child under a desk saying, “I’m hiding.”
We cannot fathom the mind of God, but Jesus gives us beautiful glimpses of His love for us. How many times does Jesus call us to be like children and to see the world as they do? That might be because God sees us not as people who have everything put together, but as children, fumbling and bumbling their way through life — and ultimately towards Him. He may not expect us to have everything put together and even when we feel isolated and alone, He is there just feet away ready to say, “I see you.”
