living out in the open

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." Genesis 3:6-10

One of the first things we do when we blow it is try to hide. Why? Because we are ashamed of what we have done. What Satan tries to do is take what we have done and use it to define who we are. If we believe him we live with a sense of personal shame, not only about what we have done, but about whom we perceive ourselves to be.

We start hiding. We hide from God and we hide from others. We feel that no one (including God) could really love us so we try and put distance in our relationships. We avoid people and places that remind us of our shame or sin. We also try and pretend with people. We attempt to hide our fear, pain, and shame with all kinds of manmade coverings.

Adam said he was afraid because he was “naked”. To allow people to see beyond our coverings can be horrifying. I mean, do I want people to see every thing about me? No way! They can’t love me unconditionally and most will walk away from me. So it’s not safe. But what about God? Does He love me enough to see everything about me and not walk away?

The answer is yes! He sees it all and still loves me. In fact, he comes searching for me. He seeks to cover me with something that will not only hide my faults and weaknesses but wash them away for good-His Son’s precious blood.

“But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.” Eph. 2:13
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” Heb. 4:16

You don not have to be afraid of God but you can “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” James 4:8

As you draw near and learn to be near Him, you will also begin to drop bad habits and false masks. You won’t need them anymore. One by one, you will let them go. You will begin to feel better about yourself and safe in His presence. You will eventually heal and the real you will emerge from hiding for all to see.

Have you heard God’s voice calling you lately? Has he been asking, “Where are you?” By the way, whose benefit is he asking for, yours or His? Did God know where Adam was or did Adam need to realize where he was? Did Adam need a moment of personal honesty and awareness? He needed someone to help him see.

Do you have some friends to help you? Can you truly see where you are? I pray that you will join one of our life groups. We all need some Christ-focused friends who will encourage us and build us and remind us of who we truly can be. We need people to help us see where we are and where we can be. Groups are forming now and there is something for everyone. Visit our web-site at newcommchurch.org and find the right one for you.

How about you today? Where are you in life? Where are you in your marriage? As a parent? As a friend? Are you doing a little hiding of your own? Do we know the real you or have you made some elaborate fig-leaf covering? I think you are worth knowing. I am praying that God will convince you to come out into the open. I pray that the cross will shout out to you the unconditional love and grace of God. Let’s walk in the light and get to know one another.

“Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” Psalm 32:1-2, 4

Pretty encouraging stuff! Forgiven, cleansed, and living out in the open. That is what I want for us today. Honest with Him. Honest with each other. Close to Him. Close to each other.

Looking for the best you,
Chris