Hide And Seek

Can you remember that classic childhood favorite of Hide-n-Seek? It seemed to be a love or hate relationship for most kids with that game. Being the insanely intense person that I am I either got a panic attack waiting to be found or felt unprecedented anxiety at the possibility that maybe my friends were too well concealed and I wouldn’t find them at all! I always hated being the seeker but I kind of liked hiding. Even with the killer anticipation of waiting to be found, I always thought I had snagged the best spot on the premise. Whether that was true or not could be debated, but at the time I was convinced.

Then I got a little older. I started babysitting and working in a daycare and I became the “adult” in the game. I can remember telling the kids that I had a great spot to hide in and they would never find me. No sooner had they closed their eyes to start counting then I would sit in a chair, in the middle of the room and throw a blanket over my head. Of course, they found me immediately because I didn’t really want to play that game and tried to make it end as soon as possible. “Miss Meaghan,” they would say, “you didn’t hide good. We found you right away,” which is what I wanted anyway. And they never really understood why my “great” hiding spot was not so great.

As Christians we play a game of hide-n-seek too; not so much with God (at least, it shouldn’t be with God) but with the world around us. Colossians 3:3 says, “For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Now the world might find that just a little bit demeaning and damaging to the self-esteem. That’s not encouraging. That’s not uplifting. That doesn’t make me feel better about myself. Well, it isn’t meant too. The gospel was never intended to make us feel good about ourselves, but rather to help us realize how spiritually bankrupt we are. Only when we come to the end of ourselves do we understand that it is in Christ we are new creations, in Christ we have been made right with God, in Christ we have the will and power to be and do all that we were meant to become and accomplish. As one brilliant man once said, “When the Creator of matter tells you that you matter, then you have purpose and then you have self-esteem.” (Brad Stine, conservative Christian comedian) So as Christians we should all have come to a place of recognizing that we are nothing and, in effect, end in failure. It is only Christ that makes us alive.

Romans 8:29 tells us for what purpose we have been saved – that we might be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Ah ha, here’s where the hide-n-seek comes into play (no pun intended). If our hearts, if my heart, is soft to the Holy Spirit’s voice and growing daily in the knowledge of Christ, then you and I will become hidden in Jesus. To be dead and hidden literally means “to cease functioning” and “to be concealed.” As we continue to walk with Jesus we will disappear and only Christ will be visible.

I want to live the kind of radical Christianity (which I suppose should be typical Christianity) where the people around me look at me and try to find me, but all they can see is Jesus. I will never be perfect; that is for sure. But I would rather have them see Jesus first. I would rather have them struggle to find me. Honestly, I’m not all that impressive. There really is nothing worth looking at. But Jesus! He is the One. How much better to see Him, even if it means that Meaghan goes unnoticed.

If you want to find the best hiding spot, hide yourself in Christ. Bury yourself in His Word and in His presence each day, that we might humbly say with the apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

The Face of Christ

It was a beautiful evening on Nangombe. Well, let's face it; every evening on Nangombe is beautiful. So I'm a little bias; it's one of my favorite places on earth. Lush and green and just amazing in every way. I glanced around the group gathered for Thursday night Bible study. There were benches set up in a circle. All of the children were standing, giving the seats to the adults. To one side was the "band" which consisted of 2 drums and a flock of singers. I was part of the singers, only problem was I didn't know most of the songs. The Luganda songs that we sang on Nangombe were different than the ones we sang in Entebbe, because they were mostly local songs. It really didn't matter. Everyone else knew the songs, and covered up for my lack of knowledge. But as I looked across the circle, I smiled as I observed one of the kids.

                Juka Derrick. His smile captured me first. It's kind of a shy, sheepish type of smile. Whenever he would laugh, his head would go down, as though to cover it up but when we looked up, his eyes had disappeared in the laughter. His smile is huge. Derrick loves to have fun. I can remember "fights" in the dust fields in the back field of the farm, balancing competitions on tires, soccer games, making faces . . . so many good times. To me, Derrick became the face of Jesus. So many children did, but him in particular. When I left Uganda, I left with memories and the chilling concern of when I would see Jesus again. I lived in my country for 23 years and never had I experienced the emotion or conviction of being face to face with Christ like I had with Derrick. The proposition scared me.

Jesus has another face though. He doesn't disappear

About a week after we got back to the States we went into Kalispell. As I walked down the side walk, I can remember thinking to myself, Lord, I don't see You. Please, show me Your face. I know that You are here, just like You were in Nangombe and Entebbe, just like in the faces of those I grew to love in Africa, but I can't see you right now. Just then we were passing Target and sitting about 10 feet from the entrance was a man, probably in his 60's, coloring in a coloring book. He was obviously homeless. We walked by, and I couldn't help but wonder. It seemed a strange spot for him. But I kept walking.

Before long, I heard a still small voice. You asked me where I was, to show you My face. You just passed Me by.

I turned and there he was, sitting there, alone, hungry and without friends. This wasn’t merely a homeless man loafing around outside a store . . . this was Jesus! And the words rang in my head, In as much as you’ve done it to the least of these My brethren, you’ve done it unto Me. Jesus always associated Himself with the poor and humble. Rarely do we see Him in the company of the rich and powerful. I went and sat with the man for a while. His name is Jose. He barely speaks English, but from what I could understand, he lost his job, can’t find another one and has no family. He never asked for a dime; he was only happy to have someone stop and talk to him, rather than look judgmentally down at him as they hurried about their way. When we finished praying and I rose to leave, I felt a joy well up deep inside of me, an inexplicable satisfaction. Not a pat-myself-on-the-back, look-what-a-good-thing-you-did satisfaction. But the kind of satisfaction that comes after a cool drink of water on a hot day. I was hungry for Christ and He found me, and gave me of Himself.

That was 4 months ago. It would be a lie if I told you that I see Christ everywhere after having that experience. I still struggle to see Jesus in people and to remember that everybody’s got a story, everybody’s got a need and as Christ’s follower, I just may be the one to meet that need, if I have the heart and the eyes to see it. Each day, God is so faithful to give me the opportunity to see Him, though. Regardless of how He is dressed, where He is walking, how much money is in His wallet, what kind of car He does or doesn’t drive, He is out there. Don’t miss the opportunity to minister to the least of these; when you do, you minister to Christ. And when you minister to Jesus, He fills up those aching places with Himself. Wherever we go, whatever we do, let us be on the look-out for Jesus.

 Open your eyes to the world all around you open your eyes, open your eyes.
This world is much more than the things that surround you.
You must arise, and open your eyes.
Sometimes we're too busy to share, but Jesus wants to care, to care.

Open your arms to the naked and shivering, open your arms, open your arms.
We need a little less taking, a whole lot more giving.
We're so safe and warm, we can open our arms.
And love a little bit stronger, and pray a little bit longer, longer.

Jesus says, when we love someone in His name, we're loving Him.
Jesus says, when we touch someone in His name, we're touching Him.
And we've got to show them the light, we've got to pour out our lives.

Open your hearts to the ones who are desperate, open your hearts, open your hearts.
They may never repay you, but their souls are worth it,
The life you impart when you open your heart.
Jesus loves all men the same,
So we've got to go out in His name.

Jesus says, when we touch someone in His name, we're touching Him.
Jesus says, when we love someone in His name, we're loving Him.
Jesus says, when we feed someone in His name, we're feeding Him.
And Jesus says, when we reach someone in His name,
He feels, He says, it's all for Him.
It's all for Him



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