“Where’s Duppy?”  It’s a common question Funny Guy asks before bedtime or when he’s upset.  From there, the search is on.  “Duppy” is his blanket – soft, with a hippopotamus head in one corner and tail in the other.  Now, while Duppy may just be a blanket to you or me, it’s very special to my son and he treasures it.  He feels secure when it’s with him at night, and it comforts him when he feels sad.  There’s no going to sleep without Duppy.  So – we search . . . really search.

Sometimes Duppy is easy to find, snuggled down underneath the covers or under the pillow.  But there have been times when it seems hopeless, like we’ll never find him.  At those times the search becomes more intense.  Every room is targeted; nothing is left unturned or unopened, all in an effort to find Duppy.  If you have kids, surely you’ve been there.  Your little one is anxious that their precious item is missing so you search high and low.  When it’s found, all is well.  For us, our son is calmed, gets in bed, and goes to sleep cuddled tightly with his Duppy.  We sought, and we found.  Duppy was always there, around us.  We just had to look and seek him out.

How often am I like that in my relationship with the Lord?  His Word tells me to seek Him with all my heart.  But do I really do that?  When Duppy is missing we search intently until he is found.  Now I am left wondering if perhaps I should search a little deeper for my Lord. 

What does it mean to seek, or to search?  Well, when we are looking for Duppy we look everywhere – in every room, under every blanket, pillow, or bed.  In seeking God, I need to do the same.  I don’t really mean looking under the pillow or blanket – but I should be earnestly seeking Him throughout the day in everything.  Perhaps it’s in my quiet time and Bible reading.  It’s also quite likely that He’s everywhere around me, in every interruption or encounter.  I need to look for God’s hand in everything around me – the smile on my son’s face, the teachable moment with my daughter when she’s frustrated with her brother, or the snow that came uncharacteristically early and sent us into chaos searching for warmer clothes.  His Word says if I seek Him, I will find him.

There are times in my life when it seems like God is so far away, like He’s not around – just like Duppy for my son when we can’t find him.  And when that happens, I too, don’t sleep well and am more anxious about my life.  I need to feel God closer to me.  So I find myself challenged now to search high and low, leave nothing unturned or unopened, all in order to find my Lord during those times.  Oh, He’s always there, but sometimes I’m so blind that I don’t see Him all around me.  So I need to search with open eyes, open heart, open mind.  He is the treasure I find in all sorts of places – if I search with my whole being.