Hide 'n' Seek

My youngest granddaughter, Madison, loves to play hide ‘n’ seek.  This is the top game on her list and one normally played after dinner.  You can see the excitement and anticipation on her little face as she says, “Come on gramma, let’s play hide “n” seek!  I’ll hide!”  And, off she scampers with her little three year old legs moving as fast as they can, as she makes the turn into the hallway.  Me?  I’m left standing there counting in a loud voice, “One, two, three,… nine, ten.  Here I come!”  Now, to be sure, when we first started playing this game, she would give herself away, either with giggles or jumping up as I drew near.  However, she is several weeks older and wiser now and has this game down.  A real pro!

One night last week, we started our game.  I looked in all the usual places and no Madison.  I looked in some unusual places and no Madison.  I even stooped so low as to ask her eighteen month old brother where she was hiding, but he just kept looking in the usual places, so I bit the bullet, so to speak, and went to question her mother.  “Try looking under the comforter and stuff on the bed; she loves hiding there.”  I did and she was there!  Her giggles were delightful!

Thinking of this special game and my earnestly seeking Madison, I am reminded of those in scripture who have also hidden themselves:  Adam and Eve, and Saul.  Adam and Eve hid from God due to sin in their lives, and Saul hid from those who wanted to crown him king over Israel.  I Samuel 10:22 tells us, “He had hid himself among the stuff.”  I contend that Saul hid himself out of fear and humility.  He did not see himself as the Lord saw him, and he did not believe he could do what was being asked of him.  Who was he in the sight of other more prominent men?  After all he was from the tribe of Benjamin, the least of all tribes.  Yet, to be sure, the Lord God had chosen him to reign as the first king over Israel.

How many times do we hide ourselves among the stuff: work, family, pleasure, problems?  None of these things is bad in and of itself, but if we fail to respond to His calling on our lives, what have we truly gained?  Fear is to be conquered and humility protected.  Saul began humble but, somehow, lost his way.  Possibly, he began to believe that he truly was head and shoulders above all others.  Being used of God for any purpose does not make us better than another; it should simply make us humble servants.  Our rise and fall depend totally on the Lord.  

Many are called but few are chosen- Matthew22:14   tells us that there will be those who the Lord calls but, for lack of response, were not chosen to do the work of the Lord.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear… Matthew 11:5 again makes us realize that there will be those who do not respond to the call of the Lord.  Both of these scriptures remind us that far too many hide among the stuff.  God, may I not be one of them is my plea.

Let us walk in the certainty of our higher calling and leave the playing of hide “n” seek to our children.

Vaya con Dios Mr. Hartzog

The community of Rio Hondo has lost a gentleman.  Mr. James Hartzog left this world on January 19th and in his wake he left many hearts longing for one more day.  I first met Mr. Hartzog when my family moved to Rio Hondo many, many years ago.  He was working at that time with his father and brother in the little wood frame store: Hartzog's Grocery.  We, my family and I, had moved into a small house owned by the Hartzog's on the same block where James, Henry, and their father each had a home.  So, Richard and I had several Hartzogs watching over us.

Over the years there were many times that I had occasion to speak to Mr. Hartzog, and he was always the same:  so very friendly and always asking about my brother.  Once I began teaching, he let me know how proud he was of me, and I felt as if a family member had patted me on the back.  That was the type of man he was.  If you did good, he rejoiced with you, and if you didn't, he wept with you.  He might even scold you if he deemed it necessary.  It was all done in a spirit of love.

I was privileged to see Mr. and Mrs. Hartzog at the all school reunion the last of September.  Of course there were the hugs and conversation, and both were their same jovial selves.  I will be forever grateful that we met that one last time.

Seeing the various email and facebook posts, many people have fond memories of James.  But, that is the way it is in Rio Hondo.  Family...  We may not share the same last name, but we definitely are family.  I will not say good bye, sir, just vaya con Dios, until we meet again.