Baxter sometimes hides in place. I don’t know if the cold weather is to blame, or if he just wants to get away from my bothering him. Whatever the reason, he has taken to going somewhere out of sight by himself for a part of the day. If I call his name, he may answer or he may not. If I look for him, I don’t find him in his usual spots. Instead, he is in the spare room where no one ever goes, or under the bed, or in the bathtub behind the shower curtain. He gets away, and when discovered, he may come out or he may not. He enjoys hiding in place, away from the sights and sounds of the TV, radio, street noises, phone conversations, and my bantering. Baxter finds a place of peace and quiet, and he stays there until he’s ready to come out again.
Sometimes we need to do the same thing. Life gets so busy, we need to stop. Our world becomes so noisy and crowded, we need to turn it all off and be alone with ourselves. Problems mount, and we get overwhelmed. Then we become irritated with the whole situation. That’s when we need a "time out". Giving ourselves permission to walk away from it all and take a break is an important habit to develop and use. It’s a tool for us to relax, get things into perspective, appreciate the blessings we share through others, and figure out how to make things better when we return. Hiding in place makes space for us to listen to our own hearts again and discover there the voice of God.
Jesus did this in His ministry. How often in the Gospels do we hear, “He would withdraw to deserted places and pray.” Jesus wasn’t running away from His responsibilities to spread the message of God’s Kingdom, but He needed the time away to regroup and figure out the next step in His mission. Even for the Lord, life sometimes came at Him too fast and furious—too many crowds with too many demands creating too much conflict. He had to stop, get in touch with His Father’s love, and refocus on His purpose. He always came back to His mission, and His return often brought a new resolve to carry though His Father’s will, even to the cross. Removing Himself for a while wasn’t running away for Jesus, but a time to renew His strength and commitment to follow faithfully His call from the Father.
So find your hiding place and use it well. Baxter does, and he seems the
better for it.
