Feb
18
Written by:
host
2/18/2010 7:00 AM
What does God look like?” “Where can I find God?” “What is God’s real name?” “Why do bad things happen?” “Do I have to love people who are mean to me?” If you spend time with young children, you may have heard some of these questions. If we are truthful, many of us who call ourselves adults sometimes have these questions, too. Although it does not have all the answers, (Oh, that it were so easy!) the book Hide & Seek with God by Mary Ann Moore can provide you with stories that will help you explore these questions with the children in your life.
Hide & Seek with God is a collection of short stories (3 to 4 pages, large print) about God and people and the relationship between God and people. The stories are inclusive in many ways, in using multiple names for God, in teaching that people experience God in different ways and in stories illustrating more than one pathway to God. Throughout all the stories you will find the overarching theme that God is in all of creation and in each one of us.
In the title story of the book, God decides to play hide and seek with God’s friends. In God’s version of hide and seek, God is always the one who hides. As God’s friends search for God, one person finds God in the grass, another finds God in the night, two people find God in themselves, one person finds God in caring people, one person is not sure if he or she found God. Which of them succeeded in finding God? God’s answer, “Weren’t those great hiding places? Some of you found me, others weren’t sure, and others are still looking. That’s OK because the most important thing is just to play the game.”
There are a couple of things that this book is not. Hide & Seek with God is not a new book; it was first published in 1994. It is a new discovery for me, though, and one that I consider a great find! If it is new to you as well, I encourage you to check it out. Hide & Seek with God is also not a picture book. Therefore, although the stories are written for children ages 4 to 8 (or even a little older), it is a book designed for parents, teachers and other caring adults to share with children.
If I could, I would tell you about every story in Hide & Seek with God. However, it is probably more feasible for you to find yourself a copy of this book and experience it for yourself. Be forewarned that reading this book with young children is likely to lead to more questions. If that happens, you have likely found God in the questioning and the conversation.
~Sally Hoelscher
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