These long summer evenings remind me of summer evenings long ago when as children we played games outside in the yard.  (Do children still play such games?)

     "Hide and Seek" was one of our favorites.  It has been many years since I have played the game, or even seen it played, but I remember a few things about it.

     One thing I remember is that the littlest players often hid like ostriches, thinking they couldn't be seen if they couldn't see.  And they would sometimes cry when they were found so quickly.

     Another thing I remember is how the older ones tried all sorts of strategies to avoid being found and counted out.  One boy I remember would sometimes act as if he were not going to play.  He would be in plain sight when the search started, lounging around as if he couldn't care less about the game.  When the person who was "it" (usually a younger child) decided he wasn't playing, and ventured away from base to find someone else, he would rush in shouting, "One, two, three, Free!"

     All of which set me to thinking about the way we play games with God.  Summertime is a favorite time to play "Hide and Seek" in our spiritual lives also.

     Some of us are like the littlest ones, thinking that God can't see us if we can't see Him (or the people or things that represent Him).  So we go off to places where churches and preachers and Bibles seem out of place.  We do things we wouldn't do at home, but we don't worry about it because we think God can't see us.

     Others are more devious, pretending to go places and do things for reasons other than what appears on the surface.  We are so innocent and open on the surface, but under the surface we have motives and thoughts that are not very noble.  And we think we are so clever that God won't find out.  That if we can fool others, we can fool God.

     The "Hide and Seek" we played as children was a child's game.  We don't play it as adults.  "Spiritual Hide and Seek" is not a child's game; it's a fool's game.  It's a fool's game, not only because we can't hide from God, but because God's reason for finding us is that He loves us and wants the best for us.

     I hope you have a good time this summer.  I hope you go new places and do new things, if that is what you want.  But I also hope you won't try to get away from God.  Include Him in your plans.  Let Him make it the best summer you have ever had.