The Great Easter-Egg Hunt

God hides things for us, not from us.

This is a quote I’ve heard recently. The first time I heard this it challenged my thinking, my perception of God’s nature and his relationship with us. If you’re not sure about the quote, I understand. More on that later. But for now, go with me for a moment and ponder an illustration.

Let’s consider the American tradition of the Easter egg hunt! I know, a pagan thing, but it does illustrate a parent-child relational connection. If you’ve ever hidden things for your child to discover, you’ll understand—there’s nothing like the parental joy of hiding something and watching-sometimes-coaching your child in the search and discovery.

When the child is very young, parents “hide” the eggs in plain sight—sitting on the table top, or in the middle of the walkway to the front door. As the child gets older, the parents hide them so that discovery requires the child to search more diligently. But always, there is the curiosity, the search, the discovery. Both parent and child revel in the joy of all three.

I wonder if teaching should include some of this—inciting curiosity, inviting a search, and allowing for discovery. Teaching, whether in church or in school, sometimes feels as if the teacher is simply passing out easter eggs—dropping them into the children’s waiting baskets. No searching, no discovery, hardly even curiosity. But doing so removes the very thing that inspires the child to value what’s in their basket. 

And more than that, doing so cuts out the relational connection—the shared joy between parent and child in the hide-and-seek experience. The joy I speak of here is that shared between our Father and us. As one who loves to discover the treasures of God hidden for us in the scriptures, I’m cautioned not to drop my discoveries into someone’s basket so quickly. Maybe I should stir up their curiosity, share some stories about the thrill of the hunt, inviting them to find joy and connection with the One who hides. 

So back to the quote, “God hides things for us, not from us.” I could give you some scriptures, some proofs, craft a well-reasoned case for it’s truth. Dropping an easter egg in your basket like that would rob you of a great many things. So I’ll just say this: 

Look what I found! When I found this one, I heard Father laugh out loud. I looked over at him and I laughed too.