Easter egg hunts are fun. Of course, the kids are cute. But I am talking about the hiding and finding of the eggs. The anticipation, the thrill of discovery, and impatient excitement to see what awaited you inside plastic eggs are all memory-worthy. When our kids were younger we marveled at how, months after Easter, our kids would gather up last Easter’s plastic eggs, put treasure (or trash) in each one, and then take turns hiding the eggs and finding them. Both the hider and the finders were tauntingly excited. Melissa and I marveled at the creativity of the hiders and impressed as a finder would think to look in that one place we thought for certain would be overlooked.
During a season of uncertainty, I recall praying and asking God why in the world doesn’t God just tell us the answers!? Why does it sometimes feel like a wild goose chase trying to figure out God’s best in any given situation? Perhaps you have had a few times like this also. I have noticed these pondering episodes can last a few hours, days, weeks and some still occupy my mind years later. In the midst of one such episode, the kids asked me to play Easter egg hunt with them.
I played along at first just trying to be a fun dad. After a couple of rounds, they excitedly asked if they could hide the eggs and I find them. Looking at the clock impatiently, I obliged. I then saw the thought and creativity of their hiding spots and took joy in their joy when I would find the thoughtfully hidden treasures. Seeing this from reversed roles really helped me learn something new. As a clergy person, one job hazard is that I am forever seeing things in terms of our relationship with God. With that in mind, in the midst of Easter egg hunt 203 of the year, it hit me: I wonder if part of our heavenly Father’s delight is in our pursuit of Truth. Perhaps the answers we think we cannot live without, are only opportunities to interact and explore our wild in relationship with God? The answer may not be the ultimate goal after all; Similar to the Easter egg only appearing to be the main point of the hunt. It is the relationship building and acts of discovery that are the main point.
I learned a lot about God that day. Friends, the next time you are in a searching season, take a step back to see if maybe this is more about connecting deeper with God than it is the search. You might be surprised at what you discover. Happy Eastertide friends!
Blessings,
Pastor Chris
