Touch & Go vs. Hide & Seek
“We are ruthlessly eliminating hurry from our lives!”
Annemarie and I use this mantra as a semi-serious, semi-sarcastic reminder when one (or both!) of us goes into serious overdrive.
I’ll be striding through the house, frustrated that I’m running late, and she’ll gleefully chirp, “Remember, Mom, we are ruthlessly . . . ”
S-l-o-w d-o-w-n.
The spiritual discipline of an “unhurried life” does not come naturally to me. I’m a Type A. A Choleric. A human do-ing.
As a result, my devotional life can best be described as touch and go. Read a verse and run.
How ironic, even oxymoronic, is that? Devotion means “profound devotion and attachment” which requires time. Tarrying. Lingering. Dwelling.
This morning, as I sat with Psalm 27, listening for God’s Word to me, two things jumped out at me.
From verse 5a,
“For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle…”
If a king as powerful as David recognized his need to hide, why do I stubbornly persist in trying to “go it alone”?
And from verse 8,
“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
I love the emotion, here! David doesn’t say, “The logical choice is to…” No way! This isn’t his head talking. He’s seeking his heart’s desire.
David’s willingness to “hide and seek” contrasts sharply with my misplaced time and energy. All too often, I touch my Bible for a few miserly minutes, and then go do the Type A dash, frittering away my time (and energy!) on task after task.
Through the Psalms, I am learning to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. To hide in — and invest time dwelling on — God’s Word. (Click to Tweet this.)
And to seek my heart’s desire (which I will not find by dashing from task to task!) in the One who invites me to dwell with Him. To hide. And seek.
“Hide and Seek”
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