Peek-a-Boo
Peek-a-boo is one of my favorite silly little games to play with babies. There is nothing more fun than catching a baby’s attention at the grocery store, smiling at them, then slowly moving behind a post or a shelf, watching them crane their little neck as I disappear and having them squeal with delight as the smiling stranger “magically” disappears and reappears!
Sometimes their parents notice and smile, and sometimes their parents are so distracted that they are completely oblivious to their baby’s fascination with my little game.
The reason babies are so fascinated by this game is because in their minds, when they can’t see you anymore, you no longer exist.
This developmental stage is called object permanence. Object permanence is the cognitive understanding that people and objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. This milestone typically emerges between 4-8 months and develops fully by age two.
This “out of sight, out of mind” phenomenon is a FANTASTIC way to distract children from something you want them to stop thinking about. If they see a scary dog, turn your body so they can’t see that scary dog anymore and “POOF” the dog doesn’t exist.
A natural milestone in child development is when a child gains mastery of object permanence, again, typically fully by the age of two. If a child has object permanence, you can hide their favorite treat in the kitchen cabinet and they will continue asking for it because they KNOW it still exists. A child who understands that their parents have not ceased to exist just because they went on a date may continue asking the babysitter when mommy and daddy will be home.
For some of us, we struggle with the concept of object permanence or “out of sight, out of mind” even into adulthood, like if we don’t leave that unpaid bill sitting on the kitchen table, we will likely forget it even exists and fail to pay it. If the project isn’t left out, we forget we were working on it. If a friend is not in front of our face, we can get distracted by all the things and people we can see in front of us and go long periods of time not thinking about that person at all.
These can be symptoms of what mental health professionals call ADHD or attention deficit issues.
Object Permanence in Faith
Today I started thinking of object permanence as it relates to God. As a baby Christian, we have a moment when we encounter Jesus and just like the baby who sees me, the smiling stranger at the grocery store, we crane our necks to continue seeing Him until inevitably, He is no longer in view. Sometimes He pops His head out and we squeal with delight, “There He is again!!”
Now, if that baby in the grocery store finishes their shopping trip with their mom, he’s not thinking about me in the car and wondering where I am. He’s not looking for me next time he goes to that grocery store. To that baby, I was a moment of delight, and the moment passed.
Many new believers treat God the same way. They have an encounter that delights them and they want that relationship, but as soon as they cannot see God at work, they forget about Him. In my experience, many Christians have not matured in their faith to the point of object permanence.
In the letter, Breadcrumbs (coming soon), the LORD was talking to me about how along the way, He pops His hand or His head out so we can see Him. There’s some sort of compelling evidence that God is leading you and you are headed in the right direction. Those breadcrumbs are not to be relied on as PROOF that He is there, but they are simply training for us in faith. As we mature in faith, we need less and less breadcrumbs to prove to us that we are headed in the right direction and that God is still at work.
This is what He said to me:
Where would your faith be without those breadcrumbs?
There’s another question I don’t wanna answer….
Faith, Little One, does not rely on the evidence of breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are training. These small steps of faith, they are training.
Are you willing to obey, even in the absence of breadcrumbs?
How will I know it’s You and not my own thoughts? I’ve had a lot of thoughts over the years that I credited to You, but looking back, I wonder if they were born of the mental and emotional distress I was constantly under.
Are you healed?
Yes.
Day by day you are learning to discern My voice.
Day by day your inner man is becoming stronger and more fortified.
Day by day your faith is growing.
This is why journaling is imperative! When there are not breadcrumbs, when I’m not giving you sign after sign after sign that you are on the right path, you are going to have to KNOW deep in your spirit what My voice sounds like, and carry the conviction of one who has seen the breadcrumbs when you hear Me speak.
Don’t forget what happened yesterday. Where we are headed, the enemy will have all sorts of suggestions that disagree with what we have talked about. Keep your eyes on Me.
Now if the LORD tells me something I write it down IMMEDIATELY!
I rehearse the things He has said to me and the things I have seen that help me to know that I know, that I know that He is with me, and so should you! We can be SO short sighted in faith. Just like that little baby who hasn’t mastered object permanence, when God is out of sight, He is out of mind and we think He has gone somewhere. No matter how you feel, God hasn’t gone anywhere.
Just because you can’t hear, see, or feel God’s presence, doesn’t mean He’s not there.
He is. Believing He is there even when you cannot see Him is a sign of spiritual maturity.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
By Faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
Hebrews 11:27
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
John 20:29