God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6 (NIV)

Hide and Seek and Making a Mess of Things – Part 3

Go to  PART 1  |  PART 2

When we read the story of the first ‘sin' act, I often wonder what would have happened if Adam and Eve had humbled themselves before God after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead of hiding their nakedness, what if they came before God to be fully seen and known for exactly who they were and what they had done?

For Adam and Eve, the knowledge of what was right came with the knowledge of what was wrong. “The knowledge of GOOD and EVIL.” You can’t have one without the other. The desire to do what is good and our inherent nature to do what is evil is a tension that lives within us all in varying degrees.

When my kids mess up, break something, do anything they know I won’t be happy with, it’s interesting to watch and see if they will try to hide it, or make up for it, or own up to it. What I want from them more than anything is honesty. “Mum, I told a lie. Mum, I hit my sister. Mum, I stole my friend’s lunch. Mum, I did say that bad word…” Sweet music to my ears.

But for some reason, the knowledge of good and evil has left a sour taste in our mouths, a decay in our spirits. We have started to believe (or perhaps we always have) that making mistakes, doing bad things, making poor choices makes us not just ‘sinners,’ but less valuable. That's why we try to hide it. That's why we try to make up for it and bridge the gap created by our frailties. That's why shame is such an oppressive force in our world, used to bend people to the will of others.

We’ve missed something in this whole sin/sacrifice picture. It’s been there all along, but our own sense of shame blinds us from seeing it.

When God called out to them, Adam and Eve hid.

We’re all students; life is for learning and growing. Honesty, vulnerability and authenticity are the pathways to growth.

There’s a reason why Christ was born in a stable with the animals and placed into an old manger instead of in a temple or a palace surrounded by gold and success. There’s a reason why he died one of the most horrific and visible deaths one could…

From the beginning, Jesus lived vulnerable, open, honest, authentic… He didn’t hide away in the success of riches, or even in poverty and hardship. He sacrificed his pride every single day to the point of sacrificing his own life.

The only sacrifice we need to make is of pride; defy shame, come humbly before him in our nakedness, heart bare, sin showing, falling short… warts and all. When God asks, “where are you?” you respond with, “Here I am.”

A broken and contrite spirit is one that’s honest about its humanity. It doesn’t try to hide away or prove itself worthy. Even in its brokenness, it knows it is accepted in the beloved, (Eph 1:6) and comes before the throne of grace in humble confidence, assured that it will be received in its current state. (Heb 4:16).

We either sacrifice our pride leading us toward love. Or we sacrifice love to protect our pride, which leads us towards division, disunity and disconnection.

Which will you sacrifice? What will you lay to rest on the altar of your life?

Sacrifice is born of love. You don’t sacrifice to make amends, you sacrifice because you value something, someone, a movement, thought, an idea… love. You will never regret sacrificing your pride to be fully known and seen before God and others. And you’ll never truly experience real love if you keep sacrificing vulnerability for the sake of your pride.

God sacrificed all he had to show you his deep and abiding love. Healthy sacrifice unites, unhealthy sacrifice divides.

Don’t hide. Don’t cover up. Don’t lie. Don’t be beaten by shame or overcome with pride.

Be you, be known, be loved and be free.
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