Hide and See
Hide and seek is one of those games that seems to follow us long after childhood.
When we’re young, the goal is simple. Find a place where no one can see you. Behind a couch. Inside a closet. Somewhere just out of sight. There was always a little thrill in hearing the footsteps get closer while knowing you still hadn’t been found.
Most of us eventually stop playing the game.
At least in the literal sense.
The truth is that nearly everyone hides parts of themselves. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Not every thought needs to be spoken. Not every struggle belongs in a public forum. There is a difference between privacy and secrecy.
The problem comes when we become so accustomed to hiding something from others that we begin hiding it from ourselves.
I’ve seen people convince themselves that anger is conviction. Pride is confidence. Bitterness is wisdom. Fear is caution. Given enough time, we can become remarkably skilled at renaming things we’d rather not face.
That may be why David’s words in Psalm 139 have always stood out to me.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart.”
It’s a strange prayer when you think about it. David wasn’t asking God for information. God already knew everything there was to know. David was asking God to reveal something to him.
Show me what I’ve stopped seeing.
Show me what I’ve explained away.
Show me the places where I’ve become comfortable with shadows.
One of the first questions God asked mankind was, “Where are you?” It wasn’t because Adam had successfully hidden from God. It was because Adam had become separated from the truth about himself.
I wonder if that’s still one of the most important questions we’ll ever answer.
Most of us spend years figuring out where we belong, what we should do, and how we want to be seen. Yet beneath all of those questions is a deeper one.
Where are we really?
Not the version we’ve presented to others. Not the version we’ve convinced ourselves to believe. The honest answer that remains after all the excuses, justifications, and disguises have been stripped away.
Because healing usually begins long before anyone else sees our struggles.
It begins the moment we stop hiding from them ourselves.
If this spoke to you, share it with someone who may need the reminder.
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