Some of us remember going to birthday parties and summer camps as a child. Sometimes we played a game called Treasure Hunt. Clues were hidden in various places in a field, or in the woods, or at your campsite. To start, you were given a paper scrap with a written clue scribbled on it. Clues were hints designed to steer you to another hiding place where the next clue would be found (under a rock, stuck in a tree’s bark, in your friend’s pillowcase). The entire game was a chain of riddles to solve. At the end of the trail of clues, you discovered your grand prize. The prize was usually something guaranteed to bring a shout of glee – balloons, oreo cookies, bubble gum. But the journey to get there oftentimes was more exciting. 
Recently I’ve noticed that Jesus is enjoying inviting me into the Treasure Hunt game. We have conversations in which I ask Him for wisdom about something. Then I wait for His response. Lately, His response includes a string of experiences, a journey of discovery. He seems to like leading me on a path that is not the most direct path to the answer! Instead, His aim is to lead me to the most direct path of being with Him, which makes receiving the final answer (the answer to my original question) much more tasty.
Truly, the prize at the end of the hunt is sweeter when it means I’ve been engaging with Him as the way to discover the prize (or to understand the answer).
I feel like there are some of us who have been waiting for an answer from God, possibly for a long time. Perhaps He has invited you into a Treasure Hunt. Look again and listen again. The first “answer” you receive may not be the direct answer you are seeking. Instead, you might uncover His invitation into the joy of discovering the prize together. I think this is your clue.
© Sharon Gonzales. February 9, 2015.