Sardines Anyone?

Dear Kids,

I Chronicles 28:9b. “…If you seek Him, He will let you find Him…”

I was 12 years old when my family took a summer trip to visit Grandpa Henderson’s sister and her family. This was a very special vacation because Aunt Jinny and Uncle David lived in Rome, Italy. Soon after I was born they had moved to this European country as missionaries. Since this was before the days of internet, email, and Skype, we only got to see them on rare occasions when they returned home to the United States.

 

Uncle Chuck and I were so excited about the whole experience, but especially about seeing our 3 cousins, Debbie, Elizabeth and Steven. In the past when we had gotten together with them they were always very nice to us and we enjoyed playing and spending time with them. The excitement rose as we arrived in Madrid, Spain, where we spent our first week sightseeing and reconnecting. From there we travelled through various other countries and finally ended up in Rome at the apartment they called home.

One of my favorite memories was the night we played “Sardines.” This is a derivative of the game “Hide and Seek.” One of us would find a hiding place somewhere in the apartment complex and the rest of us, along with a number of Italian neighbor children who had joined the game, would search for the hidden person. I remember the sweat running down my back causing my shorts and shirt to stick to my skin and the jumble of laughter mixed with undistinguishable words of a language foreign to my ears as I hunted for the concealed individual who was “It.”

Upon discovering the hiding place you would then join “It” in hiding and wait for the next person to discover the concealment. When everyone was crammed into the hiding place, like sardines in a can, the last person would then become “It” and the game would start over.

How fun it was to seek for the hidden person and enter into hiding with them. There was such a satisfaction in having discovered what you were searching for. God calls us to search for Him, but  unlike the game, He desires to be found. He wants us to experience the full joy and peace that come from abiding fully in His presence.

God can be found in so many ways – through His creation, His Word, the testimony of others who have experienced His saving grace. Our personal search must be a conscious effort to know Him on a deeper level – a search for His wisdom and guidance as we live life on this Earth.

There are many obstructions that can waylay us in our quest to find God. Often business robs of the time it takes to read His Word and pray. Trials distract our view of His beautiful creation. Self-centeredness keep us from focusing on another’s story of grace. We must forge through the undergrowth of these distractions, always looking, always searching.

One thing is true – if we set our heart on finding God, He promises that He will be found. If you call on Him He will respond. If you pray to Him He will answer. If you serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, He will become your Hiding Place.

Sardines, anyone?

Love,

Mama