hide and seek
Growing up in the church I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the Bible story of Adam and Eve. I bet – even if you didn’t grow up in the church you have probably heard it close to as many times as I…
A couple weeks ago I was blessed to sit under the teaching of Heather Thomas at a conference… and she was teaching from Genesis and Adam and Eve.
Isn’t it amazing how God’s Word always has another layer of depth to teach us something new about His character and love for us?
Facing my own battles of fighting against the schemes of the devil.. she gave me a lot to chew on that I hadn’t thought of or noticed in this passage before. But – what one thing really struck me… this is BIG – completely blew me away.
Our God who cannot stand to be around sin ~ sought after Adam and Eve after they sinned and hid.
Sometimes we focus so much on the bad choice they made (and let’s admit it, it was a whopper!!)… that we completely miss out on our Lord’s response.
I am so guilty of this. Getting caught up in the ugly… either my own ugly… or someone elses ugly. So it is with this story. I have always focused on their disobedience…
But – Look at the beautiful!
Their intimate Creator never wanted them to sit in the sin in their disobedience.
The King of the universe… knew of their choices.
Can you imagine the heaviness in the garden when they went and hid in the garden?
When they heard the footsteps of God walking through the garden… calling for them?
It makes me feel like a child just thinking about it.
You know when you were a kid and you had done something wrong and you would hide under your bed or in the closet hoping your parents wouldn’t find you. I’ve been on the other side too… where my own children have made bad choices and then hid in the most obvious place – as if I didn’t know what they did or where they were. And as much as I can’t stand the fact that they disobeyed me… My desire is to seek them out and find them to make things right again.
God was never UNaware of what Adam and Eve were doing… and He hated the choices they made. He can’t stand to be around it… yet, He LOVED Adam and Eve more. He pursued them in the midst of their shame.
“They heard the sound of the Lord God
walking in the garden in the cool of the
day, and the man and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the Lord
God among the trees of the garden.
Then the Lord God called to the man,
and said to him, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:8-9
And… what’s even more beautiful? Our God is the same yesterday… today… and tomorrow.
This same God, is My God!
Just like God knew about Adam and Eve’s bad choice to choose to doubt God’s care for them by disobeying Him…
He knows when I make a choice stemmed from my own insecurity and doubt of His trustworthiness.
But He doesn’t hold it against me…
He draws near to me and invites me to confession.
He invites me to come to Him to be made NEW and CLEAN.
He invites me to forgiveness and redemption.
THIS is the Beautiful… the GOOD NEWS! He is the Great Pursuer… who LOVES US SO!
In my life today I am faced with a choice…
I’m going to sin.
I’m going to make poor choices…
and I will likely want to hide and hope no one will notice.
You too?
Our gracious God is inviting me… YOU… us… to come to Him.
He invites us to confess to Him what we have done… and He offers the amazing peace and freedom found in His forgiveness.
My ugly~ His beautiful.
Are you wanting to come to Him? Longing for this forgiveness but feel stuck in your own sin and shame? We have all been there… If you are wanting to know about Jesus – please ask someone. You can ask a Christian friend, a pastor… or send me an email. I would love to share with you the freedom that can be found in the gift of forgiveness God has to offer.
