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May 21, 2024 18:00pm

Changing the Game

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As a child, I loved the game of hide and seek. It satisfied the competitor in me to see if I could be sneaky enough to win. I thrived in the challenge of trying to outlast and out smart my opponent. There was something alluring about being hidden under a bed or in a closet or in a tight space with my heart pounding while I held my breath and waited.

But I have to admit, there was something equally thrilling about being found.

It got lonely in the dark and the energy it took to keep quiet and to stay hidden became exhausting after a bit. I can even remember times I would make a little noise, just give a little chirp, to let someone know I was close by and if they would just look harder they could find me.

The truth is, after a while, I wanted to be found.

I’m a grown woman now, and though I sometimes play this game with littles, it seems there is a whole new game of hide and seek afoot in the adult world. It starts in adolescence. It’s a game less obvious where we hide, not physically; but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. As adolescents and adults, we quickly learn there are expectations and standards for behaviors and moods and desires and if we aren’t quite “there” yet, well, it’s best to just pretend.

Afterall, what better method for demonstrating our maturity and experience than to “fake it ‘till we make it”?

When we mess up or miss the mark, our natural instinct is to not let anyone know. We don’t want our errors or our lack to be found out. So, we cover for ourselves. We blame someone or something else. We hope no one notices, but if they do, we make excuses or quickly justify our actions. Or, if the mistake is really ugly, we try our best to remove ourselves.

We back our way out.

We stop attending.

We call in sick.

We don’t answer the text.

We defer to differing forms of internal and emotional isolation.

Essentially, we run. And we hide.

Ever been there? In hiding?

You’re not alone. Actually, humans have had this issue from the very beginning. From the time sin entered the world, mankind’s first reaction to moral failure was to hide. The Bible teaches in Genesis, when Adam and Eve committed the first sin by disobeying God, they went and hid themselves. I think this game of hide and seek continues to this day.

From my perspective, it seems slightly more complicated, but I’d like to try and explain the new rules.

See, just like when I was a child, eventually, everyone wants to be found. Running is hard and the dark is lonely so people have a desire to come out of hiding. Everyone has a desire to be known. But, there are two ways to play the game.

Option 1: According to Culture

Our culture actually promotes being seen and technology offers a major assist. Modern society screams at us to come out of hiding and be free.

But, culture’s freedom is twisted.

It’s a freedom to sin. It’s the promotion to do anything you want, be anyone you want, and live any way you want. Forget standards and expectations, create your own. Ignore any call of God, deny any conviction of sin and come out of hiding. You have the right to demand your freedom and most importantly, your acceptance. You deserve it.

I’ll confess, it’s an appealing promo.

And loads of people are playing this version of the game. Millions are making it clear, they want to be seen, heard, understood and accepted.

From social media

“look what I did” posts to

“watch what I can do” videos to full-on

“look at us” protests to everyday

“listen to me” conversations,

people are seemingly playing an adapted version of the game that has morphed from hide and seek to see and accept.

And guess what? They’re winning. It’s like the version of hide and seek called “Sardines.” Find other people like you and hide with them. Groups form and people feel found. They feel known and accepted, but the truth is they’ve only revealed the parts they wanted seen.

None of this works.

Statistics are proving it. Darkness is still hovering. Anxiety and depression and mental health concerns are at an all time high. Collectively as people, we’ve never been more seen and we’ve never been more dissatisfied.

What if culture’s promise of freedom is a trap? People are deceived into thinking acceptance by a few will provide the same thrill as being found by the One, but the two aren’t the same.

Maybe there’s a better game?

Option 2: According to God

Freedom and sin don’t belong in the same sentence. Sin always leads to slavery and death and destruction and no amount of demanding acceptance will ever change the realities of disobedience.

Look at what Jesus said in John chapter 3, interestingly, when he was conversing with a man who was hiding in the dark. Jesus speaks the most famous verse in all of scripture recorded as John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life.” What a tremendous promise! It makes sense that every single person would want the gift of eternal life Jesus offers. He made it so simple. So beautiful. So undeserved.

Yet, we live in a world where people are seeking everything but a relationship with Jesus.

Why?

Well, ever read through the end of the chapter?

Jesus explains.

John 3:19-20 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

There it is.

It’s not that people love evil. It’s that people love the cover of darkness because of sin. Moral failure leads to hiding. No one wants to be seen for who they really are because no one measures up to the standard of God. And before we assume people wouldn’t hide from a God they don’t know or don’t believe in, consider this:

Romans 1:19-20 tells us, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

We hide because deep down, we know.

We know God is. We know God has a standard. And we know we fail. But, the absolute beauty of God is that HE KNOWS. He knows and He loves us anyway!

According to God, rather than playing this exhausting, dead-end game of hide and seek or see and accept, He says to seek and find!

We can come out of hiding looking for God and that changes everything.

God will always be who God has always been, and we have the option to look around and see His power and His nature. To see Him. Take God at his word when he says, “when you seek me, you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God is not hiding from us. He loves us and He plainly makes Himself known.

Repentance and faith are the way out of hiding. Seeking a relationship with God, who “formed my inward parts; and knitted me together in my mother’s womb” is the way to truly be seen, to be known and to find God.

There is no better option.

Are you tired of hiding? Are you tired of demanding acceptance for things that you know God will never approve? Stop running. Today the game can change. Choose to come out of hiding and start seeking the One who already sees you, knows you, and loves you. He will forgive you. Darkness can lift. True freedom can be found. He can change your life because He changes the game.