Check the Elevator

Last week I went with Cru, the campus ministry I am in, to a conference in Denver. It was a great time to connect with God and with friends. While the sessions we attended were incredible and convicting, the story I’m going to tell about one of the things God revealed to me has nothing to do with any of the sessions. Instead, this story is about a game some of us played during the second night of the conference.

The game is called Sardines. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the game, Sardines is basically like reverse hide-and-seek; two people hide together while everyone else searches for them. When somebody finds them, they proceed to hide with them and this continues until everyone manages to find them. It’s a fun game, especially in the hotel we were staying at because it’s third and fourth floor are filled with dozens of possible hiding spots (A side note: neither of these floors had rooms where guest actually sleep, they are used for conventions and conferences like ours so we where not bothering any guests!).

Now before the start of the game, one girl wanted to emphasize the rule no hiding in the stairwells, because last year people hid in the stairwells and it became a hassle for those who were still searching. In the end, everyone agreed, no stairwells, and the two guys left to hide. Knowing these two guys and the fact that we had just emphasized to rule about no stairwells, I had a feeling they were going to hide in the elevators, just to show that they’re ‘rebellious and edgy.’ I voiced this thought to a few of my friends who were playing but no one else agreed to check there. Not wanting to be isolated from the group, I chose to bypass the elevators and instead search the two floors with my friends. Sure enough, we did not find them. We texted the guys, asking for a hint. Their response was “We are somewhere between the third and fourth floors.”

Again I thought, they must be in the elevator! But again, everyone doubted me. So just as before, I went with a few friends and searched all over the floors again, in many of the same places we had already checked. By this point others who were playing were growing frustrated and were convinced the two hiders were cheating. We all stood by the elevators, with some people deliberating over whether or not to end the game. That’s when we heard one of the hider’s shout someone’s name. And the voice came from the elevator! And still, no one believed they could possibly be hiding in an elevator so everyone took off. Except me.

I stood and waited. The elevator opened. Sure enough the two guys and someone who found them earlier were sitting inside. I hopped in. Within two minutes everyone else finally found them. There was a debate as to whether or not the guys followed the rules (which they did, no one said no hiding in an elevator and they made sure it only went to the third and fourth floor!) and another round of the game ensued shortly after. However elevators were banned, mostly because they move up and down so quickly that being in one for an extended period of time can make you feel pretty sick.

So you might be wondering, what’s the point of this story? Trust your instincts? Get rid of all loopholes when establishing the rules of a game? Nope. During this game I was so worried about being separated from the rest of the group that I didn’t go and search where I was supposed to. I checked the same places over and over, expecting different results. But if I had found the guys right away, I probably would have gotten motion sickness (I’m telling you those elevators are something else!). Sometimes God calls us to go somewhere where we may not be comfortable or do something that others may not support. But it’s the path we have to follow. It may seem daunting initially, more so than leaving your friends during a game of Sardines at a Christian conference, but it will produce results. Searching through the same areas of your life over and over again hoping for new and better results is illogical and unproductive. Even if no one had been in that elevator, I would have at least found one more place the two guys were not hiding.

The next time you think you should check the elevator, check the elevator. The next time you think God is telling you to do something, do something. Because with both scenarios, you’re bound to find something.

If you’re intrigued by this post and looking forward to what I’ll write about in the future, you can expect a new post every Saturday. Also, if you feel inclined, feel free to leave a comment below about what you think. Thanks for all your support and I hope you’ll come back next week. Stay Amazing!