It's Not Supposed to Be This Way Week 2: Tuesday

"When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees." Genesis 3:8

When my nephew got in trouble recently for being unkind to his sister, he ran and hid. After a conversation with him about how he had treated his sister, I knew he had hidden because of shame. He felt embarrassed about what he had done and wanted to hide. We have all been there, haven't we? When shame takes over, we want to hide rather than face the consequences of our actions. The truth is, however, that there is no hiding from God, and it is only when we expose our sins that we find freedom from shame. 

When Adam and Eve introduced sin into the world in Genesis 3, shame came too. After they ate the fruit God instructed them not to eat, they felt shame. They had previously walked through the garden naked but not ashamed, but after eating the fruit, they "felt shame at their nakedness" (verse 7). So they made clothing for themselves out of fig leaves (verse 7). Later, they heard God walking through the garden of Eden where they lived, and because they felt shame for their sin, they hid from Him (verse 8). Isn't that what we all want to do when we feel shame? We want to hide. We want to hide from taking responsibility for sin. We hide to avoid being called out or embarrassed. We hide, hoping no one will see us, but the truth is, it is impossible to hide from God.

As God walked through the garden of Eden, He called out to Adam, "Where are you?" Now, God is all-knowing, so He knew exactly where Adam and Eve were. He was allowing them to come out of hiding. Adam responded, I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked" (verse 10). God responded, "Who told you that you were naked?... Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?" (verse 11). Adam and Eve had nothing else to hide. Their actions had been revealed. Yes, they would face the consequences for their sin, but they would also be able to take steps toward restoration. After all, it is only when we come out of hiding that we can find healing and freedom from sin and shame.

Moving toward action

Today is the day to come out of hiding and let go of shame. Take some time to confess your sin to God. Confess the areas you have been holding on to shame because of sin. Then, acknowledge this sin to God and ask Him to forgive you. As you do this, you will find freedom from shame by coming out of hiding and embracing God's forgiveness instead.

Going Deeper

Genesis 3:8-11 (NLT)