James Potter did not want to go into hiding. He did not really want Peter to be their Secret Keeper because James did not even want the Fidelius Charm to be performed; he did not want to have to pick a Secret Keeper. Sirius and Dumbledore, however, had teamed up to harass the Potters until they gave in.
Lily, who had long insisted that James cut down on the amount of work he did for the Order so he could spend time with their son, seven-month-old baby Harry, gave in rather quickly, in his opinion. Anything for Harry, she had said. Anything for our baby.
Hiding was not very Griffindor-ish, but James loved Harry more than anything and he gave in eventually. James knew he could trust Peter, his good friend Peter Pettigrew. He wouldn't hurt a fly. So on the 31st of October, 1981, when Voldemort walks into the living room of their tiny cottage in Godric's Hollow, the only thought racing through James' head is that hiding was worth it, if it bought him one more week with his family.