 Friday: Together in Hiding,
but All Alone
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of
the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8
We may never fully understand what it is about human nature that leads us
to break rules, challenge authority, and rebel. Even more curious, though,
is the way that we often behave after we act out. We brashly do what we never
should have done, and then we cover up. We hide. We deny. We make excuses.
We try to blend into the crowd, but at the same time we make sure that we
stay separated from the crowd. After all, we can't trust "them."
The sad truth is that we have been doing this since the beginning of human
history. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Then the first phase began.
"Quick, Eve, cover your body." "Uh oh, Adam, He's coming! Hide. NOW!"
Typical human response. Covering up, hiding, and trying to avoid the only
one who really loved them.
After a little more of this proved futile, phase two began. "The fruit? You
mean that fruit? Well, you wouldn't let me pick my own friends. You
put me with her, and now see what she did." "Me? Hey, I was tricked by the
snake." Typical again. Denial. Excuses. Lying to themselves and lying to
God.
Notice what happened. While they were pushing God away, they began to push
each other away, too. What they didn't realize is that separation is not
what they needed. They needed to face God, and they needed to confess and
seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
We are prone to the same behavior today. Who do we hide from? We hide from
God. We hide from spouses, managers, and friends. If anyone gets close enough
to see our faults, we push them away. We deny fault. We make excuses. Like
Adam and Eve, this is not what we need. We need confession. We need forgiveness.
We need reconciliation.
On our journey, we have to remember that we cannot draw close to God while
we push Him away. We cannot grow in His family while we alienate our brothers
and sisters. When we are wrong, we need to confess. When we are hurt, we
need to forgive. When we grow apart, we need to reconcile. As we continue
our pilgrimage to encounter God, be sure to draw closer to God. Don't push
Him away.
Holy God, you are the one God. You are my all in all. I desire to be one
with you and one with your people. Even though I sin, Lord, let me seek your
face. Let me confess my faults. Let me reconcile to you. Put in me your heart,
Lord, that I may love your children, even as you do. This I ask in your holy
name, Amen.
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