The Perfect Hiding Spot

Almost every night during the summers of my early high school years, we played “Hide-And-Seek” with some neighborhood friends. There were no perfect hiding spots, so truth be told, I made it to “Home Base” not by stealth, but by simply outrunning the person who was “It.” Then I got older and was dragged into adulthood, kicking and screaming.
 
One of the many reasons I loved my previous role of Youth Minister was that I never really grew up completely. It was actually an important part of my job to play games with the students who were much younger than me (in years, if not in maturity). During our “Overnighter” events, for example, one of our most popular games was called “Seekers,” a version of “Capture the Flag” played in utter darkness. Each team owned and tried to protect a floor of our church building while working to capture the other team’s flag. The main “hiding” part of the game was in the effort to sneak close enough to the flag to grab it and run back to home base without being tagged. Our congregation was kind and generous enough to pay me for such efforts. Having fun was in my job description.
 
But hiding in real life is no fun at all, nothing like it was with my childhood friends or my youth group students. I practically enjoyed being afraid when the worst possible outcome was the tap of a finger, signifying I had been caught and had to go to “prison.” As an adult in the real world, the fears can overwhelm me. The outcomes can be horrific, at least as I perceive the possibilities and allow myself to be gripped with anxiety. And being trapped in the prison of fear leads me to hide in a different, less fun, and much less healthy way.
 
But there is one hiding place, one secret place that’s worth finding and spending time in, away from the cares of this life and the worries of the world. It’s a place marked by intimacy and fellowship with God, where fears are overcome and hearts are encouraged. A place where peace, comfort, and rest are found. A place where safety and security are discovered, not through the absence of danger, but in the presence of Jesus, regardless of the danger. I have the perfect hiding spot…
 
You are my hiding place;
You will protect me from trouble
And surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (NIV)
 
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV)
 
Troy Burns