Hide and Seek

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There are some advantages to being in a wheelchair.  One is not having to stand in long lines.  My shoes don't get dirty too often.  I sometimes get a perk here and there.  Children like to ride with  me, so I often get cool points with them.    On the flip side, skipping school wasn't really possible.  I mean it isn't if teachers or principal would just suddenly notice that girl in wheelchair suddenly exited the class room.The same was true for hide and seek as a child. A relative decided hiding my chair under a sheet might me feel a little better about my disadvantage in the game.  As I think about it now, it makes me laugh at the kind gesture.  As you can imagine, the sheet trick didn't work so well.  It just drew attention to the very place where I was attempting to hide.  
Sunday, I attended church with my friend,  The message was on a psalm 23.  I've read it, and heard it many times but really just tend to pass over it.

   'The Lord is my shepherd;    I have all that I need. Psalm 23:1

   It is not the only time in scripture talks about a shepherd "If  a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!' Mathew 18:12-13.  Shepherds and sheep aren't topics which comes up in common conversations in our culture.    As we get older it becomes easier to hide ourselves.  It reminds me of the sheet I put over my chair foolishly thinking as a kid that the sheet would help increase my chances of winning at hide and seek.  As a Christian I sometimes deceive myself  into thinking figuratively I can run and hide myself from God.  I can hide the pain and sin with the sheet of busyness or numbness food, or TV.  If I make excuses for not picking up that Bible, then I won't have to say what is really on mind or heart.  I can just go through the motions at times and mostly no one can really see the inside.  The reality that I was reminded of Sunday as a guest at my friend's church was that no matter how far I wander like  sheep, Christ still follows and pursues me.  We all wander in different ways, some wander through addiction, a past abortion, an extramarital affair, you might find yourself wandering in a pool of bitterness. Like me you might be wandering in sea of questions, fearing that if anyone knew, they might think you are not who you thought you were. We fail to see that we need is not the sheet we hide under, but the Shepherd to hide in.   You think if you wear a "sheet" you can hide from God and others.  Others are easier to hide from, but God sees you in your game of hiding.  He sees you and He loves you.  He invites you and me to lay down our sheets we are attempting to hide under.  It might take a prayer your weren't expecting like it did for me, on Sunday or a moment of stillness where you have to stop.  Stop hiding.   Christ is a Hiding Place, which actually means that the one place we can go where we can be totally free is in the presence of Christ.  What we really want is a safe place where we can stop hiding and rest.  That  place is Christ Alone  If you are wandering or hiding from God you are not really hiding at all. He is still seeking you because He either wants to be YOUR Shepherd  or He already is.  Will you join me as we stop hiding from, and start hiding IN Our Shepherd?  

If you want to know more about Two Rivers Church which is actually located in Ooltewah TN Go To The message at this church is a big part of what inspired this post. You will find a caring place that's foundation is The Gospel.