Hide and seek. A simple game with one seeker and players that hide. All but one of the players go to hidden places to hide, while the seeker closes their eyes and counts for a certain number of seconds. Upon reaching the time, the seeker opens their eyes to start searching for the hiders. As those of us who avoided being seekers know, it often takes longer to seek than to hide. This is not just applicable to the childhood game—many of us know this experience personally.
Unlike the players in hide and seek, our seeking in life is often more complicated than ducking into an inconspicuous closet. Even more, what exactly is “seeking”? Is it to pursue, hunt, search, chase, or quest? Seeking has a greater meaning beyond “running after.” Rather than pertaining to only one part of life, seeking is how many define life as a whole. It seems like we are always seeking something, whether friends, success, or authenticity. Once we start seeking one thing, we find ourselves already—whether we realize it or not-–in the process of seeking even more, juggling multiple desires at the same time. This constant seeking is epitomized in higher academia, where there is an immense pressure to seek this so-called “success” of achievement and life satisfaction.
Many universities have mottos that represent their core values, missions, and principles. Some notable mottos include Emory University’s cor prudentis possidebit scientiam, “the wise heart seeks knowledge,” University of Chicago’s crescat scientia; vita excolatur, “let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched,” and Vanderbilt University’s crescere aude, “dare to grow.” Each of these mottos capture positive growth, ambition, and discovery— with an underlying emphasis of one’s self—but fall short of acknowledging the intense pressure and expectations such striving comes with.
For me, seeking has felt like a “means to an end”. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, this idiom is defined as “something that you do because it will help you to achieve something else” [1]. It often manifests itself as fixating my eyes on one goal and sacrificing whatever it takes to succeed. Seeking has translated into struggling in the moment, losing hours of sleep, prioritizing only what’s in front of me, and leaving what’s behind. I have to grit my teeth, believing that the hardships and brutality will come to an end, and that it’ll all be worth it once satisfaction is met. I simply seek until I achieve. But in reality, does this “seeking” ever end? Do I even know what I am “seeking?”
Seeking has translated into struggling in the moment, losing hours of sleep, prioritizing only what’s in front of me, and leaving what’s behind. I have to grit my teeth, believing that the hardships and brutality will come to an end, and that it’ll all be worth it once satisfaction is met. I simply seek until I achieve. But in reality, does this “seeking” ever end?
Our society encourages us to keep moving forward with constant hustle, but devalues slowing down, figuring things out, and taking time to realize what our true desires are. It is evident from the very beginning of our lives. I remember being in first grade and being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Though it may have been a wholesome question for the class, it marked the beginning of a perpetual thought of “figuring out my life timeline” that still lingers in my head. While first learning how to read, there was already an expectation from the world that I had to know what I was going to pursue after high school, where I was going to be, and who I was going to become. It seemed like I was seeking some sort of success in my life without knowing what I was seeking to begin with. In an article about success in children by the Atlantic, it quotes: “encouraging children to follow a linear path makes them cautious and competitive, when what they are most likely to need are curiosity, a willingness to take risks, and a talent for collaboration” [2]. Without the process of being present in the moment, figuring things out, waiting, or even experiencing rejection, we miss the opportunity to gain patience, humility, and reflection. For many, success is defined by achievements, but once the achievements are reached, there is still a sense that something is missing.
Ultimately, it leads to open-ended questions like “How can we seek success?” and ”Will we ever be satisfied?” The Bible presents a different path. It acknowledges that though there may be struggles, seeking is ultimately a journey of returning, rather than scoping out into the world and trying to conquer and resolve the problems on your own.Christians view their seeking as an ongoing process in their walk of life that can be satisfied through dependence on God, in whom they find fulfillment. This definition shifts their focus from striving to earn fulfillment to receiving it through a relationship with God. Rather than carrying the weight of everything on their own, Christians believe that Jesus provides the daily strength to do what He asks of them. As humans, we naturally will still get burnt out—but we were not meant to carry the weight of everything on our own. The message of the Bible is that humans can be relieved from the pressure of seeking achievement after achievement, and instead find rest in God. Though “seek” is not a common word mentioned in the Bible, there is a section in Matthew 6 titled “Do Not Be Anxious.” In verse 33, it says “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” This verse implies that our seeking is not towards temporary items or successes; rather, Jesus states that seeking should be an active and continuous process of surrender.
Success should not be defined as “having everything figured out.” There is greater freedom when it is defined as learning, day by day, to release the pressure of “figuring everything out” and trust that we do not have to carry life on our own. In Matthew 11 verse 28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” His arms are wide open for us to come running to Him to return and find rest. The questions still remain: “What if success is not something we chase, but something we receive?” “What if it is found not at the end of striving, but in the midst of surrender?” Perhaps the very thing we have been seeking all along was never hidden, it was simply waiting for us to stop running long enough to find it and come to Him.
By Yana Kim, Contributor
Yana Kim is a sophomore from Dublin, Ohio. She is studying Human and Organizational Development and can often be found trying new restaurants and cafes or playing music. She enjoys writing pieces about faith and navigating relationships.