Hugger Mugger

It’s a funny word, isn’t it? I first encountered it over 20 years ago when a business acquaintance, Diana Carlston, invented a game to rival Trivial Pursuit. Her premise was to offer a game geared towards people who liked words – the spelling, definition or word play of such – versus those who stored a lot of trivia in their brains.

A “hugger mugger” is a secret, a mystery, or something unrevealed. Diana’s game began with a mystery word that was eventually revealed through a series of thoughtful (pun intended) game plays: unscramble letters to form a word; spell a word; choose the correct definition of a word; answer a random trivia question, or create a list of words, for example, that begin with “en”.

I was able to purchase one of the first 100 signed editions of the game in 1989. Then it sat on a shelf gathering dust for the next 22 years. I did not play it once and I love words! At a recent garage sale I put it out with a modest price: $4. Toward the end of the sale someone came by and picked it up, wondering aloud what it was about. Before I had a chance to explain, another browsing customer very enthusiastically gave a personal review. Her “testimony” was enough to convince the other customer to buy it.

The Triune God is a real hugger mugger. While each person in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – are revealed through the Word, we really don’t know or understand how three can be one. Faith – trust without reservation – allows us to accept this hugger mugger and worship the Triune God freely and fully.

Some people have a hard time with mysteries. They need them to be solved. The secret must be revealed! Those same people probably need to know what’s in every package under the Christmas tree before they’re opened! Personally, I like a little unsolved mystery but I also know that God will reveal all at the right time in eternity. Someday I’ll know all three persons in the one God. I’ll know why loved ones were taken to Heaven before I was ready to let them go. I’ll find out how faith the size of a tiny, tiny mustard seed can move the largest, most immobile mountain in the world. And I’ll see the fullness of His love for me and all mankind. The hugger mugger will be revealed. I hope that my “testimony” will someday be enough to convince someone to seek the One who is love beyond all fathom.