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By Ann Farabee

The reality of it is embedded in our hearts.

It has been lovingly placed there by the Holy Spirit.

I remember when I first knew it was real.

I was:

A young teen who needed a savior, so I could be saved.

A young teen who needed the bread of life, so I could be fed.

A young teen who needed a light in my world, so I would not have to live in darkness.

A young teen who needed a good shepherd, so I would have guidance and love.

A young teen who needed the way, the truth, and the life.

One night, I knelt at an altar in a small church on East 16th Street.

You may not know where that is — but God does.

I asked Jesus to come live in my heart.

He did.

He still does.

Decades later — it has only grown stronger.

Sometimes, it feels like a flood.

Sometimes, it feels like a still small voice.

Sometimes, it feels so gentle as his love is poured into my heart and soul.

It is real.

It is not about rules. It is about a relationship.

It is not about promises lost. It is about promises kept.

It is not about forgiveness earned. It is about forgiveness given freely.

It it not about our effort. It is about God’s grace.

It is not only about God who abides in heaven.

It is also about God who abides in our hearts.

Abide means to live or dwell in.

Abide means to continue without being lost or fading away.

Abide means to stay or remain.

Jesus lives in us.

Jesus dwells in us.

Jesus will continue.

We will not lose him.

He will not fade away.

He stays with us.

He will remain with us.

What is the prerequisite to Jesus abiding in us?

John 15:4 says that if we abide in Jesus, he will abide in us.

Hudson Taylor was a Christian missionary for 51 years in China during the 1800s. His organization was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country and starting 125 schools. His efforts brought about 18,000 Christian conversions.

He wrote about abiding in Jesus in a way that I surely could not. His words were, “Abiding in Jesus isn’t fixing our attention on Christ, but it is being one with him. A man is abiding just as much when he is sleeping for Jesus, as when he is awake and working for Jesus. Oh, it is a very sweet thing to have one’s mind just resting there.”

Oh, Mr. Taylor, it is sweet, indeed.

Abiding in Jesus.

I may not be able to explain it, but I sure can feel it!

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

By Ann Farabee

No doubt we have all participated in a game of hide and seek.

Everyone knows the rules.

The person who is “it” counts aloud to a pre-selected number like 10, while everyone hides.

“It” then says something like, “1.2.3.4.5.6.7.10! Ready or not, here I come!”

“It” begins looking for the people who are hiding.

The word look is different from the word seek.

To look means to see it or pay attention to it.

To seek means to go in search of something.

If you are playing with children age 5 or under, and you are “it,” finding those who are hiding while playing indoors can be pretty simple. Look around. Stand still. Listen for whispering, giggling and rustling sounds. Walk toward those sounds.

As “it,” I never let the children know that I know where they are. I make a huge scene  while slamming doors and wondering aloud, “Where in the world could they be?” Then, I make loud announcements like, “I think I will look in the kitchen! I bet he is hiding in there!”

There was that one time though…

One little hider had not been located.

I looked everywhere.

Looking everywhere was not successful, for I was only looking with my eyes.

I needed to seek for him.

I knew he had to be near — so I called out his name.

No answer.

I noticed the blanket on the floor of the closet I had looked at earlier.

This time — I decided to lift up the blanket, so I could seek for him.

There he was.

Safe, secure and soundly sleeping.

Seeking for him had mattered.

Looking for him had not been enough.

Does God’s word mention hide and seek?

Adam and Eve hid from God, but God knew exactly where they were.

Jonah hid from God and ended up in the belly of the whale.

“He is our hiding place,” — Psalm 119:114

“We are to seek him while he may be found,” — Isaiah 55:6

Hiding from God? Impossible.

He knows exactly where we are.         

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.