Adam

 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.     Genesis 3.23

Everything was ruined. One bite of the fruit that promised wisdom, and I knew. I was naked. Was the weight in my chest shame or fear? Nothing was the same, somehow the very earth beneath my feet felt different. Was it an undoing or an estrangement?

Eve, the woman I delight in, seemed a stranger. It was her fault. She took the fruit, I just took a bite because she did. Now naked and desperate, we sit sewing leaves to cover our shame because we know He will be coming. I used to look forward to walking with Him, but now I dread it.

“He’s coming!”

“Let's hide!”

God came with a question, not condemnation. He came with justice and grace. He told Adam and Eve the consequences of their choices. The breaking of relational wholeness, the pain of childbirth, and the sweat and toil that would be required to bring forth fruit. Then God banished them from the garden, where the Tree of Knowledge stood alongside the Tree of Life.

God could have struck Adam and Eve dead when they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He could have let them stay in the garden and eat of the Tree of Life. Then they would live forever separated from God. Instead, He banished them from the garden so they could have a right relationship with Him. He gave a future promise that one day the serpent would be defeated.

He comes to us with the same promise. Our sin does not have the final word. Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin and given us His righteousness. God’s kindness draws us to repentance, and He will never leave us. He is with us.

When shame and condemnation try to make us hide, let us listen for God’s still small voice. He is calling us home.

Father God, thank You for calling out to me in kindness. Help me to lay bare my heart so I can rejoice in Your presence. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there, if I make my bed in the depths,  you are there.         Psalm 139.7-8