Out of Hiding

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Margaret

When I visit my grandchildren, one game they love to play is Hide-and-Seek. I like it too, for a couple of reasons: all ages can play, and tired grandmas can choose hiding places where they can rest quietly for a few minutes.

Once in a while, instead of hiding themselves, the children enjoy hiding special toys. Hunting for Matchbox cars or finger-size princess dolls can be the ultimate in Hide-and-Seek challenges, but bigger items are fun to search for.

The last time we played, it was Skylar’s turn to hide something, and she chose her pink purse.

Wisely, she tucked it into a bush full of pink blossoms, and those of us looking for it had a tough time. We walked past it again and again without seeing it. Eventually we had to ask her for clues in order to finally find it.

* * * * *

Sometimes we can feel we’re playing that kind of game with God, like he’s hiding from us in a place that’s impossible to find. And how about when we ask what his will is for us? Does he keep that a secret, too?

I think of Moses up on Mt. Sinai, all alone with God. He said, “Show me your glory, Lord.” In other words, “Come out from your hiding place.” And unbelievably, God did! He showed Moses something no other human being has ever seen.

And that wasn’t even all of it. Moses asked God to give him a partner in his travels through the wilderness, and God responded by saying he would personally take the job, guiding Moses with an audible voice. Another time when Moses asked what to do with obstinate followers, God answered him definitively. And when he stood in the gap and asked God to forgive the sins of others, God did that, too.

Why was it that Moses seemed to “find” God so easily? Why did God have such a high opinion of Moses? I think the key is in his attitude.

Moses viewed God as his only personal hope for succeeding at anything, his go-to Person for every need. He didn’t make plans apart from the Lord and never thought of God as his last resort. His first move was always toward him. And then, when he was told what to do, he followed orders exactly. He also spent time worshipping God, sometimes face-to-the-ground.

God looked favorably on Moses, to the point of coming out of hiding in a dramatic way. And he’ll find favor with us, too, if we’ll honor him as Number One. After that, finding him will be even easier than finding a pink purse hidden in a pink bush.

“One day Moses said to the Lord, ‘If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully’.” (Exodus 33:12-13)

Seeing Eye-to-Eye

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Margaret

A week ago while I was visiting Linnea and her family of 6 in Florida, I marveled at how she got so much accomplished each day. Maybe that’s because she’s a goal-setter and a list-maker, but I think it’s more about knowing that her life as a wife and mother is a high calling.

I enjoyed watching Linni deal with 4 young children, home-schooling 2 and keeping careful track of the others. Somehow she manages to spend one-on-one time with each of them, each day.

Of greatest interest to me was her method of discipline, probably because I was never much good at that as a young mom. When Linnea was about to reprimand one of the kids, she’d always start the same way. Bending down to their level she’d say, “Skylar (or Micah or Autumn), look at me.”

The child might take a quick glance at Linnea’s face but then, inevitably, would look away, knowing that whatever was coming next wouldn’t be good. But Linni wouldn’t deliver her message before she’d gotten their full attention. “Look at my eyes,” she’d say again. “Here,” pointing to her eyes. “Look here.”

The child often took another quick peek but then repeatedly looked away until Linnea absolutely insisted. “Eyes,” she’d say. “Right here,” pointing to her own. When finally both pairs of eyes locked in, she’d “deliver the goods.”

God does the same thing with the rest of us. Though I can never physically look him in the eyes, I can always “see” what he’s trying to tell me through what Scripture says. But watching Skylar, Micah, and Autumn automatically look away from Linnea was a powerful object lesson for me.

How often do I do the same thing with the Lord, glancing left or right or even worse, right past him, pretending not to notice he wants me to pay attention? Of course trying to dodge the gaze of the Almighty is ridiculous, even more so than children trying to avoid their mother’s eyes.

The Lord goes to great lengths to connect one-on-one with us. And thankfully he perseveres, because he has important things to say. The only way to move forward in the Christian life is to listen to him and then heed his words.

Hebrews 12 offers a warning: “Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking,” meaning Jesus. (v.25) Even if we know his message is going to be one of rebuke or correction, we can take comfort in knowing his discipline comes from a heart of love. (vv.5-6) So there’s never reason to fear receiving his focused attention.

As for Linnea’s children, one day they’ll thank her for taking the time and making the effort to always look them in the eyes.

“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus….” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Me, Myself, and I

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Margaret

The Christian life is all about being other-oriented. Jesus put it this way: we’re to love others as much as we love ourselves.

That’s a tough one, simply because we come into the world all set to put ourselves first. If we aren’t sure of that, all we have to do is look at young children. Their behavior shouts, “Me first!”

Take two-year-old Emerald, for example.

Once in a while she’ll crawl up on my couch just to gaze at herself in the mirror behind it, the only mirror she can reach. She’ll talk to her reflection, make faces, tip her head back and forth, and jump up and down, all while intently watching her mirror image. And she smiles long smiles at herself as if to say, “You, Emerald, are my very favorite!”

This natural egocentricity is something we try hard to diminish in our children as we raise them. As soon as they can understand, we insist they say please and thank you, even when they aren’t feeling it, just to force them to focus on someone else. As we continue to train them, resistance to “me last” is common.

Truth be told, though, all of us have one foot in that camp. To put others ahead of ourselves we have to make a conscious decision, since even in adulthood it doesn’t come naturally.

Jesus was a faithful example of putting the needs of others ahead of his own. Following him through the Gospels, we see he was often hungry, tired, burned out from ministry, and stretched thin by nonstop commitments. He was so busy doing for others that he rarely did anything for himself.

Yet he never lost sight of his overarching purpose: to bring salvation to people like us. Without him and his willingness to put us ahead of himself, we would have been left to save ourselves, a setup for disaster. We could talk to our mirrors around the clock and never come up with a way to cleanse ourselves from sin.

If Jesus had refused to put others ahead of himself, we would be in a fix for which there was no repair. Instead he set self-interest aside and focused on us, enduring the cross.

As I look into a mirror at the beginning of each day, maybe I should talk to my reflection and say, “Subdue your me-first attitude today, just like Jesus did for you. And then do something for someone else as a thank you gift to him.”