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When the world was young and we were innocent—both man and woman—we were naked and unashamed (Gen. 2:25).
Nothing to hide. Simply… glorious. And while that world was young, and we, too, were young and beautiful and full of life, a corner was turned. Something happened, which we have heard about, but never fully understood, or we would see it playing itself out every day of our lives, and, more important, we would also see the chances given to us every day to reverse what happened.
Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. “Really?” he asked the woman. “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat it,” the woman told him. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die.”
“You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. (Gen. 3:1–6 nlt)
The woman was convinced. That’s it? Just like that? In a matter of moments? Convinced of what? Look in your own heart—you’ll see. Convinced that God was holding out on her. Convinced that she could not trust his heart toward her. Convinced that in order to have the best possible life, she must take matters into her own hands. And so Eve did. She was the first to fall. In disobeying God she also violated her very essence.
We, like Eve, so easily fall prey to the lies of our Enemy. Having forfeited our confidence in God, we believe that in order to have the life we want, we must take matters into our own hands. And we ache with an emptiness nothing seems able to fill.
Reflect
- The feeling that we need to hide our true selves has been around since the Garden of Eden. Added to our sense of not quite measuring up, there are times when the world has not been kind to us. Can you describe a time that you were hurt as a girl and it led you to hide your true self?
- What current situations cause you to want to self-protect and hide? How do you do that?
- What are you afraid will be exposed in these moments where you feel the need to hide?
Scripture
Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
