That reminds me of a joke. Perhaps you have heard it before. Years ago a popular and well known U.S. athlete named Picabo Street was a very successful downhill skier. Her first name was pronounced “Peek a Boo”. She worked as a nurse in a hospital assigned to ICU. She sometimes answered the telephone saying (as instructed) her name and the unit of the hospital … hence … Picabo, ICU. She got fired as the complaints piled up from people upset with her clowning around at such serious times.

We play peek a boo with babies and young children. Later those young children may play their own version of peek a boo or hide and go seek. When I was a teenager my friends and I used to play a game we called “jail” where we would choose up two teams and one would go away to find someplace to try to hide and avoid be captured and put in jail. Anyone in jail could be set free if an uncaught team member could make to their teammate in jail and simply tag them and hopefully not get caught themselves. The game would go on until everyone was caught and in jail. It was a lot of fun, especially on ice skates. On land we played it at night after dark making it easier to hide and harder to find those who are hiding. While ice skating it didn’t matter whether it was day or night as we had bright lights at night lighting up the skating rink. Anyway, one night as we were playing on land I was on the team that was out looking for the team hiding from us. I was walking down an alley in total darkness when suddenly I felt something warm and wet on my leg. I walked right in front of someone hiding who happened to be urinating as I walked by. That was an experience I never forgot. It wasn’t exactly pleasant at the time, but I can laugh at it now. Ah yes, memories!

I started off writing this article to say that as much as we may want to hide from God, it is impossible. No one can hide from God. And we can not hide our sin from Him either. We might be able to hide from our fellow man and deceive him, but not God. He knows everything … even our thoughts and our motives. Does that sound rather scary? It is, and so it should be. And no one can or will escape it, nor should they as God just and honest. He shows nor favoritism to anyone.

Yes, He comes searching for us. He has not and will not give up on you. You can’t hide your sin, but God can forgive your sin and wash it away. God is everywhere … even in hell (Hades) the place of the dead. Are you hiding? If so, it is in vain. God says peekaboo, I see you.

God can not ignore sin. He doesn’t excuse sin, but He does forgive it. He comes to you with open arms. Will you respond? We are all lost sheep and need His help. There is no need to clean up yourself. God wants you just as you are. Only repentance is needed. Simply making the sincere decision to turn around and walk toward God rather than continuing to walk away from Him. Salvation is a gift … a gift from God to us. Like any gift we need to receive it in order for it to be ours.

The Good Shepherd is looking for His lost sheep. Will you respond to Him?