'Fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty.
Here I come, ready or not! thundered the deep vocal chords of Papa Paws, a big brown bear with whom we shall soon be acquainted.

I've an idea. Why don't we join in and help old Papa Paws to find his family and then we can meet them all for ourselves. I guarantee you they are an interesting bunch!

Are you ready? Let's go...!

Now Mama Paws, she wasn't very good at this game because she was rather big in appearance - big in heart too as you will see- and it was very difficult for her to squeeze into secretive spaces meant for someone half her size. Papa Paws paced the floor of the hallway and right in front of him he spied the cloakroom door slightly ajar with an abundance of fur protruding through the gap. Mama paws breathed in as much as she could, but of course she couldn't hold on to her breath forever and in desperation for air she exhaled like a volcano erupting lava and the door burst open.

'Caught you!' chuckled Papa Paws, proud of his first prey and pleased with his progress.

'Oh dearie, dearie me,'sighed Mama Paws. 'You are just too good at this game for the likes of me!' and off she trotted to make some chocolate cookies and cocoa.

'Right, my cubbies, where are you?'

Papa Paws looked in the larder and then beneath the beds, behind the sofa, inside the wardrobes. Where could they be? He wondered this as he scratched his big bulky head.

Um, maybe the tool shed was worth a try.

Inside was rather dark and damp but that was no deterrent to a daring bear. His big brown eyes scanned the scope of the shed but to no avail. As he wandered back towards the house, he noticed that beside his blackcurrant bushes, the wheelbarrow was turned upside down.

Oh boy, that's terribly untidy looking, he thought to himself and as he lifted it to put it the proper way up, guess who was underneath? Yes - one of the cubbies!

'Padders!'

Padders, by the way, was so called because he had the most gorgeous padded feet you could imagine.

Padders still kept his eyes closed as tight as he could thinking that if he couldn't see his Papa, then his Papa couldn't see him!

But Papa Paws caught him by the scruff of the neck, tossed his bundle of bear into the air and declared with delight, 'Got you!'

Padders, you will discover, is an interesting cub -excitable, mischievous, lovable, clever - all in one. Now that he was caught he could not wait to announce the exact location of his sister.

Papa Paws said, 'Fair's, fair. let me find her myself!'

Now Puff, his sister, was skilled at this game and was always last to be found. One thing about her was that she liked her comfort and there was no way she would be in any unpleasant place. So Papa Paws plodded into the house again. In fact by now he was very weary and between you and me, he sniffed the air a little to get her scent; bears have a great sense of smell!

Duchess the dog joined in, delighted to reveal the whereabouts of the one who gave him nothing but grief and grey hairs. Duchess had a beautiful black shiny coat but old age was taking its toll on his facial features.

He bounded up the stairs ahead of old Papa Paws and scratched on the hot press door, and sure enough, on the top shelf there was Puff, already pontificating about rules and fairness and how she would never ever have been found were it not for deceitful dogs.

Puff was in the worst of tempers but eventually Papa Paws coached her to join the others in the kitchen where, Mama Paws was standing draped in her embroidered muslin apron; the fire was burning, the kettle had boiled; the cookies had become a lovely golden brown and were steaming hot and the cocoa was in the pot on the hob.

Around the table they soon gathered: Papa Paws, Mama Paws, Padders, Puff, Duchess the dog and old Sourpuss the cat who would certainly never take part in such a silly game. 'All that needless spent energy! Bears are brainless.' That was her opinion. Nothing in the world could be better than a soft feathery cushion plunked perfectly close to the range with a saucer of milk conveniently placed within stretching distance.

Papa Paws was one for taking everyday events and making simple lessons out of them, and this occasion was no exception.

As they munched on their chocolate-coated cookies he said, 'Now we are all tired from playing Hide and Seek. You all found a hiding place and eventually you were all found.'

'I would never have been found were it not for -' blurted Puff.

But Papa Paws appealed for respect while he was talking and continued, 'As I just said, you were eventually all found.' Now came his teaching and his cubs gace him their full attention.

He said, We all can play Hide and Seek with God too but there is absolutely nowhere you can hide from God's all-seeing eyes. He told them about two people called Adam and Eve who tried to hide from God in the garden of Eden. They had done wrong and disobeyed the voice of God and they thought that rather than admit it, they would hide themselves from God's sight.

'Now you would think that thetre would be a lot of good hiding places in a great big garden but it appears that God is an expert at Hide and Seek and He so easily finds them and is none too pleased.'

So Papa Paws reminded his cubs that God sees them all of the time.

There was silence in the kitchen as if they had been stunned, or shocked or at least surprised. But Puff disturbed the stillness by saying aghast, 'That sounds really threatening. God sees me all the time?'

'Ah dearest, that depends on the way that you live,' remarked Mama Paws. 'If you are good and right with God, you have nothing to fear.'

'That sounds so thrilling!' shouted Padders with delight. 'God sees me all the time, even when I am in danger and distress. Great stuff!'

Puff glared at him but Papa Paws patted him on the back approving of his wisdom.

'Time for bed everyone,' he said. 'Tomorrow is Sunday but remember the lesson from today - God sees us all the time.'


If you would like to know more about how to get right with God, please click on this big bear.