Five Minute Friday scribblings, God, Relationship, Uncategorized

Hide: Where Do You Hide?

Jeanne Takenaka

Sea Animal hiding

By +Jeanne Takenaka @JeanneTakenaka

My Five Minute Friday prompt this week is—HIDE. This largely unedited “rough draft” form of writing stretches this perfectionist, in the best of ways. I write for five minutes on a given topic. If you’re interested in learning more about 5-Minute Fridays, check out our hostess, Kate Motaung’s site. Or, click on the link at the bottom of this post. As you read my simpler Friday posts, I hope you’ll join in the conversation!

HIDE

Ever since our boys were little, they’ve loved to play Hide and Seek. When they were small, I’d hear, “Mama, come find me!” Of course, they were hidden from themselves, but I saw them clearly, as a foot stuck out from under a lumpy blanket.

Now that they’re older, they still like to hide from me. Tonight, one boy hid behind his bathroom door. I walked into his bathroom to fill his humidifier, and there was no Peter. But, I heard his breathing. And I saw his reflection in the mirror. At twelve, he thought the reflection gave him away.

It was what I heard first that clued me in to: 1) he was hiding, and 2) where he was. Maybe I have good hearing. Or maybe I have come to know this dear boy of mine and his penchant for “surprising” unsuspecting family members.

It got me thinking. How many times have I tried to hide from God? As if we could. Our God who sees through the darkness as if it’s light.

Psalm 13912 darkness and light alike copy

When I’ve failed . . .

When I’ve hurt another . . .

When I don’t think I can face my perfect Father . . . I hide.

I hide from Him in activities or in busy-ness. Or in tears.

No matter where I’m hiding, He hears my heart’s cry first. The yearning for acceptance from Him. The reassurance that it’s okay.

We make mistakes. We can know His grace. And we can move out of hiding and into deeper intimacy with Him.

Flower amid rock

What if, instead of hiding from Him, I hid in Him? What if I opened His word, or sang a worship song? It’s hard to worship when I’m busy condemning myself. But if I can remember there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, it might just be easier to hide in Him, rather than hiding from Him.

What about you? Do you have any favorite Hide and Seek memories from childhood? When have you hidden and been surprised with grace?

Vist Kate Motaung at her site Five Minute Friday: Hide

Published by Jeanne Takenaka

Award winning aspiring novelist, Jeanne Takenaka, writes contemporary inspirational fiction that tackles real life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and those around them. She lives near the mountains in Colorado with her amazing husband and two exuberant boy-men. She loves being God’s girl—always learning about His grace, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. When she’s not writing you can find her with a camera in her hand, looking for #alittlebitofpretty in her days.

23 thoughts on “Hide: Where Do You Hide?”

    1. I agree with you, Carol. Having God’s grace to help us conquer our fears, knowing His grace redeems us? That brings such comfort and even confidence. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Bless you Carol! I am so happy you know the Lord and His faithfulness. He is always with us, especially in difficult times! May the Sunshine of His love light your every day!

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  3. I hide in my computer where I “work” each day. Yes it’s doing His work, but work is not the same thing as fellowship. I need intimacy with Him each day, need to be in His Presence throughout the day. “Work” just doesn’t cut it.

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    1. I hadn’t thought about that, Mom. It’s so easy to hide on/in our computers. And He does desire our fellowship over our work for Him. Such a good thing to remember. Loved your thoughts here.

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  4. Great thoughts. It’s just like when we fall and become physically wounded. What do we do? We cover it and only remove our hands to show the damage when asked to do so by someone we trust. God is our safe place. We can show Him anything, tell Him anything and know He will love us anyway.

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    1. I like that analogy, Tara. We do tend to cover our wounds. Sometimes I even cover mine from God . . . at least for a little while. I’m so glad He’s our safe place in every way. It’s such a comfort to know we can’t do anything to make Him stop loving us!

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  5. We do try and hide from Him, don’t we Jeanne – and given the fact that He knows our innermost thoughts, it’s such wasted effort. Especially given the fact that He’s waiting on us with open arms to receive us as we are. So blessed, like you said, that we can run to our Father, find comfort in His word, and be received with grace, not condemnation. Such great encouragement and words here today. Hugs, friend.

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  8. Hiding in God instead of from God. That’s hard. Even though I know better, it’s tough to escape the sense that He’ll drop a ton of bricks on me when I sin. So I slink away. I try to justify and avoid Him. But over and over He says, “Let’s just deal with it.” So much easier when I do!

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    1. I’m right there with you, Marie. It takes a long time to come to that place of trusting God and His perspective of us. I love that He doesn’t beat us over the head with bricks, but also that He doesn’t want to leave us right here in our mess. Like you said, He wants to help us deal with it. I’m so glad He’s bigger than we are. 🙂

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  9. Learning to hide in Christ verses hiding from Him is a daily lesson. I wake up determined to hide in Him only to make a bad decision and then I want to find a place to hide from Him.

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    1. Amy, it’s a daily lesson for me too. Trusting Him is so easy in some areas of my life, and so stinking difficult in other areas. Those are the areas where I find it hard to hide in Him. Thank goodness He’s a patient God!

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    1. Andrew, I’ve never pictured you as a hide-er. And you’re right. When we can see what’s going on around us we can see where the danger’s coming from. Or the bullets. Great point, friend!

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  11. I love this scripture. I have found myself hiding from Him instead of in Him to many times to count. I am so thankful there is no condemnation for those of us in Christ. This is where I long to be where I want to stay. Hidden in Him, hiding His Word in me as David put it so that I might not sin against him. Beautiful post! Love from FMF. and thanks for stopping by my place!

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    1. Laura, it was so nice to “meet” you this weekend. 🙂 Psalm 139 is my favorite psalm. Yes, let’s both stay hidden in Him and let’s hide His word in our hearts. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  12. I hide in the river. I find the most special place to get away from everything is wading the Kankakee River. I love to fish for smallmouth bass, but the truth is, I escape there. I sense my own weakness as I attempt to steady myself on the rocky bottom with the river’s current rushing against me. It reminds me of just how powerless I am, and my greater need of reliance on our Creator. The sound of rushing water soothes me and seems to provide for an uninterrupted conversation with God.

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    1. There is something soothing about water, Gene. And you’re right. Standing on a rocky surface reminds us how easily we can be swayed or swept off our feet. I love your word picture that reminds me of my own need to rely on Jesus. 🙂

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