No place to hide

Do you play hide and seek with God? Have times you are with God and times without?

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:14 NIV

Reflection

Solomon offers us this as the concluding verse in Ecclesiastes. I probably should have read it when I was much younger and made the connections he did. Perhaps you should have read it too.

Consider this. God won’t forget, but He does forgive. Interesting, isn’t it? Moreover, whatever happens, it will be known. Maybe not everyone will know, but you and God will.

Let’s begin with the fact that nobody is perfect. We’ve all done or said things we regret. Things we’d rather not have done or said. But we did. Even if we didn’t mean it, it happened. It’s part of us.

So why is the truth so difficult? Why can’t some of us handle the truth about ourselves? Why can’t we accept it, understand that aspect of ourselves, and move beyond it?

Solomon was trying to help us realize that our truth is known by two beings: ourselves and God. But why is it crucial to understand this?

For me, the things I’ve said or done that don’t reflect well on me are like scars. You can’t erase them. They’re there for a reason. They remind us of the moment they occurred. It takes time for a scar to heal, but it remains. It happened, and you remember how.

Many of us overlook the fact that we are the main characters in our own lives. While it's true that we may support others, we are constantly present in our own narrative. We also have God, yet we often fail to recognize this.

When we were younger, the notion that we have some control over our own narrative was unfamiliar. I imagine some of you might disagree with what I’m saying. I get it. It’s difficult to admit that you’ve let someone down, hurt someone, or maybe even betrayed someone. I know someone who just can’t see that they’re crafting their story without involving God. They’re in complete control, and it’s so self-focused that God can’t have any input. You might know someone like that as well.

But what about us? Was God with us when we said or did what we did? Yes, of course. But how were we with God? If you’re truly honest, you’d admit that you and God weren’t as connected as you needed to be. In fact, had you been more connected, you wouldn’t have that thing you said or did as something that reveals a truth about you. What was that truth?

You might think it’s about what you did or said. It’s not. It’s about neglect. Ouch. That word stings! Neglect. Seriously?

Think about it. How invested in God are you really? Do you attend services? Do you thank Him for the small and big things? Do you trust Him? Do you even notice Him in your life? If you do, that’s great! I bet you could do better. I know I can.

While I truly appreciate when people read these reflections, I am more driven to witness action in all of us. That action is to root your life more deeply with God. To be more natural with Him. I genuinely desire to appreciate God just as I appreciate breathing. But I never want to lose my breath for God. I never want to be winded. I want my entire life to be rich with Him, and for the outcomes of my life to be the ones He intended for me.

Consider this: our lives and the events that have unfolded are just as they are. Today is our only starting point for making improvements, for becoming more profound and connected. We shouldn't delay this until tomorrow, as tomorrow never really arrives. Take a moment to reflect on that.

We never die in a tomorrow. We die in a today. Agree?

So what will it be then? Will you invest more time with God? Will you discover new ways to notice and appreciate Him? Will you trust and surrender the rest of your journey to Him? Or will you hold on to whatever it is and push Him aside again? I am committed to digging deeper. Join me.

Let’s conclude with this. Being more rooted simply means taking a step towards what that means for you. Maybe you need more prayer time. Maybe you need a prayer list. Maybe you need to memorize some scripture. Maybe start listening to Christian music. Maybe you should visit your local church. There are many possibilities, but you probably know the one you need. So stop hiding from God. He knows everything. Seek Him. Knock on the door. Ask and let it be given. Besides, you can’t hide from Him, so it’s best to live and thrive with Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father bring forth your Holy Spirit in each of us. Help us understand and appreciate that you are always there through the Spirit. Help us take that next step closer to you. Help us live our lives breathing you in and out in such away it just feels natural. It feels necessary, needed, and desired. Father, we all can be more rooted in you. Take us there. Make it happen. Keep us, our families, and our friends safe. We pray this in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.