Hide & Seek is a favorite childhood game. I loved to hide and wait to be found.  Usually, I’d scream and laugh when someone would find me. Other times, I would rather be the one to find and seek out my sisters and cousins from hidden spaces in the attic or garden or fort.

Jesus promised, “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

Shepherd w/Sheep

As a parent, I’m learning to teach our children to “ask” and wow! I’m learning so much about what happens when you ask for help or ask for exactly what you want. The children know the difference between an instruction and a statement at our house. They say “Its a chilly day” and I don’t presume to offer them a coat or hot chocolate because they are only making a statement. I don’t need to take action. But when they ask, “Can I have a jacket, its chilly today…” I’m every so willing to hunt down a coat, mitten, gloves and beanie for them (in San Diego it does get into the a brisk cool 70 sometimes ;o)

I don’t read minds. I don’t play hide & seek, but I do ask. I ask for help. I ask for more information. I ask and plead in prayer. I often find solace in seeking out answers to questions I’ve asked hundreds of times. And depending on the season of life, those answers change. I adapt. I overcome and I certainly know Heavenly Father knows when I’m making statements or asking for help.

The parable of the lost sheep — not a lamb or a baby sheep, but a full grown sheep with experience to know better. A sheep that other lambs will follow if not found again. A shepherd knows his sheep and goes out to find them. He sleeps with them in fields. He fends off wolves and would give his life to protect them. The sheep know Him. And that lost sheep goes to hide. I often imagine that the shepherd is always aware of the sheep’s location. Only when the sheep is ready to return to the fold does he bleat and beg for help. Then, the shepherd goes to the rescue. If we are sheep and we don’t want to be found, we don’t speak up or say anything. Only when we’re ready to return do we make a big fuss.  Kinda like when I didn’t want to play hide and seek anymore so I’d giggle and laugh to make it easier to be found.

ASK – Ask. Do. Admit what we want/need/desire/hope/wish…

SEEK – Seek. Look for solutions. Think outside the box…

FIND – Find. Make a choice. Choose an option, weight the pro/cons and move forward…

…and then, we’re promised blessing will be OPENED unto us. If we make a wrong choice, ask for help, seek a new solution, find more answers…

I wish you JOY!  Smiles, Anna

The Survivor Tree, NYC

P.S. I’ll be signing at the LDStorymakers Mass Author Signing at the Provo/Marriott Convention Center.  If you’re available or interested, please come visit me.