Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on how often in life we play hide and seek with God. A perfect example of this can be found in Genesis chapter 3. Most of you are familiar with the story. Adam and Eve are in the garden of Eden. They are given permission to eat any fruit they find in the garden except for the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The serpent tempts Eve. She bites first and Adam follows. Immediately, they are made aware of their nakedness and hide themselves from the presence of God.
I would venture to say that many of us do the same thing. Our sin at times tempts us to hide from the Lord. However, I also think we do alot of hiding from God when we are experiencing brokenness. Like Adam and Eve, in the face of hurt and pain, many of us take cover in the bushes, rather than being vulnerable with God and presenting to Him the pieces of our shattered hearts.
It may not obvious to us that we do this. Sometimes we do this in the most subtle ways. Like most people, I have memories of a few painful scenarios that really devastated me at the time. We all have recollection of a few rip-your-heart-out-of-your-chest moments. Those situations taught me some things both good and bad. The bad it taught me was how to hide. I learned how to build walls. I learned coping mechanisms and defense strategies that were designed to keep my heart protected. If I’m honest, I learned to expect to be hurt. If I could anticipate it coming, then maybe when the final blow was dealt, it wouldn’t hurt so bad. This is raw and real, but I’m sure I am not the only one who has struggled in this capacity.
God has been teaching me though that all the hiding and running is not the issue, the issue is where I am running to? Where do I go to hide? My favorite scripture verse highlights an important truth: “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). God is aware of our hurts and our brokenness and he wants to the one we run to. He wants to be our safety net and our hiding place. Only he can mend a heart that’s been broken.
We are all faced with situations that challenge our defenses. We all face moments in life that beckon us to bring our walls down. Those situations can be a combination of exhilarating and terrifying. Ask yourself today, when my defenses are threatened where do I hide? For everyone the answer could be different. Some may hide in the bottle or self-medicate. Some may hide from others, never allowing themselves to be vulnerable. Some may hide themselves in their careers or hobbies. But if we are ever to be fully whole, we must learn to hide ourselves in Christ Himself. In a sea of uncertainty and confusion, He is the Rock we can trust in. He is the healer of our hearts.
