Every July when I was a child, my family spent one week at a multi-generational summer camp. We stayed in a semi-rustic lake cottage on the Canadian border where we enjoyed swimming, fishing, boating, biking, campfires, and corny talent shows. Each day offered a range of activities for adults and separate activities for kids, all of whom were placed in camp groups according to age. As a child, I always said this was my happy place. Years later, my own children said the same.

Inevitably, the week would include some sort of treasure hunt. Running in flip-flops all over the lake shore, up root-laden paths, through grassy paddocks, and even sneaking into the grown-ups’ dining room — this was the stuff of childhood dreams.

I still remember the year my team found the treasure. Out of breath, we stood before a gnarled oak tree, shading a hammock near the end of the Old Lake Trail. A hollow in that ancient tree held the prize — an enormous bag of foil-wrapped candies in a myriad of colors. I don’t remember who had the honor of removing the prize, but we all shared in the delight.

I often think of the joy involved in that wild race to discover the treasure and wonder if that is how God wants us to seek Him — with childlike joy and wild abandon, discovering Him with breathless delight.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” It sounds a bit like a challenge, perhaps even an invitation to adventure, but if we don’t accept the challenge, we miss out on the prize.

As adults, we often lose that sense of wonder which seems to come more easily in childhood. We forget the joy of seeking, and we sometimes misplace that quick willingness to accept a challenge. We would rather have quick solutions that fit our hurried lifestyle.

But children have a carefree, exuberant way of pursuing a prize. What if we were more like children as we pursue God? What if we sought Him, our prize, with a lightness of being — not questioning or striving but enjoying each moment of the hunt. What would we find at the end of the trail?

Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44 NIV). Do we have that kind of joy as we seek the Lord and His kingdom?

I honestly believe God enjoys hiding treasures for us, His children — and He wants us to enjoy the pursuit as well. He doesn’t want us to be burdened by the weight of this world, but to fix our eyes on the Kingdom that is already within reach, a treasure waiting to be found.

It’s no coincidence that Jesus mentions the receptivity of children twice in the gospel of Matthew:

Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Matthew 19:14

If we are to truly encounter His kingdom here on earth, we must set our grown-up busyness aside and welcome the wonder that surrounds us each day — chasing after treasure with joy and expectation in our hearts. In that place of simple childlikeness, I believe He satisfies our hidden longings, opening the eyes of our hearts to see Him as He really is. 

How will you embrace childlikeness as you pursue God’s kingdom today? Maybe it looks like taking time to walk in the park or play with your dog. Perhaps you have a desire to draw, or paint, or sing. Is there a game you haven’t played in years? Or a beloved book you haven’t read since childhood? The possibilities are endless. Invite Him to join you in whatever you choose and ask Him for a fresh perspective on His kingdom, and your place in it, as you seek the hidden treasure of His immeasurable love.

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