Hide and Seek

I grew up in what most Americans would label a “Christian" home.  Unfortunately, in my home that label was accurate in name only--we didn’t attend church, and we were not brought up knowing who God is.  Sadly, I suspect there are millions of other “Christian" homes in America that are just like mine was.

I came to know the Lord as a freshman in high school when a friend invited me to his church youth group.  However, later in high school I began pulling away from my church relationships.  I chose to seek my own way instead.  I’m not sure if it was trying to satisfy my teenage rebellious instinct, or whether I was simply hiding from the higher standard God had called me to.  But, for the next few years of my life I did everything I could to run away and hide from God.

Still, the Holy Spirit never left me—I’m sure of this because I was fully aware that the path I was following was wrong.  Thankfully, God kept gently nudging me back to Himself.  After a few years of young adulthood and marriage, I finally started listening.  I began once again seeking the Lord. However, over the next two years my wife and I never really settled into a church family. 

It was during this time that a tragedy struck our family—my wife’s mother passed away at a young age. This tragedy eventually brought us a tremendous blessing.  As a result of her mother’s death, we moved to Hot Springs and began attending the Southern Hills E-Free church.  At last, my game of hide and seek was over—at least the hiding part, that is.  We found the nurturing church family we had been looking for; I found the Bible-based teaching and the discipleship relationships with other committed believers that I need to help me grow as a Christian.