“And 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. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ”Where are you?'”
Genesis 3:8-9
It was the coolest remote control car ever. It was a truck, but instead of wheels it had tank treads. It was super fast and could do 360 turns. This thing was awesome. And, the first time I played with it I broke the remote control. I snapped the antenna off. The truck still worked, but I had to be within a foot of it for my triggers to make those treads spin. It was the worst! I broke my new birthday present on day 1.
Have you ever spilled something on a brand new shirt—the first time you wore it? Or broken a new toy on the first day you played with it?
Naturally, I was scared. I didn’t want to tell my mom and dad what I did. I hid the broken antenna. I still played with the truck, but it wasn’t as much fun as it could have been. All I could really do with it was make it spin in circles until the battery died. My most amazing remote control was not nearly as amazing any more.
This is what sin is like. Adam and Eve broke things when they disobeyed God and believed the serpent. This perfect new playground that God made for all of humanity was busted up that day. And it hasn’t been the same since. It doesn’t work the way it was supposed to.
And, like I did, Adam and Eve hid their brokenness.
Have you ever hidden? Not because you were playing hide and seek, but because you were hiding from someone or something?
Shame is a real thing. It suffocates life out of your lungs and it amplifies the lies of the evil one. Shame buries you under these burdens. Shame makes you hide; from the people who love you and from the Lord who wants to walk with you.
For Adam and Eve (and you and me) the very best picture we have of the Lord is found here. He is the one who wants to go for a walk with you. He wants to take a walk and talk about your day. He wants to know what it is like to be in your shoes. The Lord wants to know what stresses you out, what keeps you up at night, and what gives you butterflies of excitement. Even though we messed it all up—He still wants to walk with your everywhere you go.
Shame makes you want to hide. The Lord wants to draw you out of hiding and be with you. The Greek word for Truth means to be drawn into the light. Jesus wants to shine His light on you. Not to expose your sin. But to show you His love and the depth of delight He has in walking with you.
If possible, go for a walk today. Invest some time in conversation with your Lord and let His word speak over you and draw you into the Light of His love