Where Are You?

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

Where Are You?

            “…Eight, nine, ten; ready or not here I come!”  And then the search begins.  What child hasn’t played Hide and Seek?  It’s a game you can play indoors or outdoors.  One person is picked from the group to be the “seeker” and the others hide.  The key is to find everyone.  Some are good at the game, but others seem to leave a foot sticking out from under a curtain unaware they are giving their hiding spot away.  Others just can’t hold in the excitement as the seeker passes and giggles just enough to be caught.

            Even though the game is great to play, hiding can be tiring.  If you’re really into the game, your heart races as the seeker gets close.  Then when they pass, you relax and the heart tends to slow.  If you’re good enough to be one of the last found, the excitement of winning can be overshadowed by the tenseness of trying to stay hidden.

            Hiding can be exhausting.  Hiding certain aspects of our lives can be equally if not more exhausting.  We all have parts of our lives we would like to keep to ourselves.  Maybe it’s mistakes we’ve made in the past.  Maybe it’s places we go that we shouldn’t.  No matter the aspect, hiding it can be exhausting and anxiety inducing.

            I learned an aspect to my spiritual walk with God that shook me into reality.  The two words that mean so much and were foundations to my relationship with Him are omnipresent and omniscient.  God is everywhere, or omnipresent.  There is no place where you can go that God isn’t already there!  That can be comforting to some, but also can be alarming, especially if we’re going places we shouldn’t.

            God is also omniscient.  He knows all and sees all.  He knows our faults, our weaknesses, our strengths, and yes, where we hide.  Some may turn their backs on God and say they left him.  We may change our position relative to God, but I assure you, you can’t leave the presence of God no matter what you may think.

            “Adam, where are you?”  This was the question God asked Adam after he and Eve had sinned.  The two were hiding because they knew they sinned.  Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness, so they hid when they heard God.  “We were hiding because we are naked,” Adam responded when God found them.  God replied, “Who told you of your nakedness?  Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat?”  You see, it wasn’t a location question God asked.  It was a spiritual question.  God knew Adam and Eve had strayed from His expectations, but He loved them anyway and stayed with them even after they were sent out of the garden.

            God continues to love us even though we too stray from what He wants for us.  So, if you hear God asking, “Where are you?” we should answer, “Here I come Lord!  I’m done hiding!”