Hiding?

Scripture Reading — John 4:1-26

“Will you give me a drink?”
— John 4:7

Have you ever played hide and seek? Each person in the game tries to hide, and they all hope they won’t be found. The first person who is found gets to be “it” on the next round, and then that person has to seek out whoever is hiding.

It’s a curious game. Our granddaughter doesn’t really grasp how it works. She’ll micromanage things, telling us where to hide so that she can cheer triumphantly when she somehow “finds” us. She has fun. So do we. But she misses the point entirely.

Hide and seek is about wanting and not wanting at the same time. You have fun playing together by trying to hide and not be together. And when you’re found and you’re together again, you protest: “Aw, you found me!”

The seeker makes the game work. If that person quits, the whole game fizzles. Crouching behind the sofa or in a closet isn’t much fun if no one comes looking.

I think God likes that game. At least he seems to, because he ends up playing it a lot. So often we, his people, want to be with him but also not with him. So he continues to seek us.

This month we’ll keep this in mind as we focus on John 4 and some other passages to reflect on a Samaritan woman who meets Jesus. If, like me, you’ve ever found yourself both wanting and resisting God, I think you’ll find we all have a lot in common.

Lord, when I hide from you, please keep seeking me. Draw me into your presence and help me to welcome your persistent love. Amen.

Written by: Ron Vanderwell