IMO: You Don’t Have What it Takes - Wednesday
Genesis 3:8-9
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. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” (NLT)
In today’s verse, the first man and woman were ashamed for the first time… but strangely, their shame wasn’t focused on their disobedience. Instead, after they ate the forbidden fruit, they suddenly, perplexingly, were focused on something else—and it kept them from owning up to their sin. As we read the account, we find the shame they felt was because of their nakedness. And it doesn’t seem to be something that God had wired into them. Even God appears to be incredulous when He hears their excuse for hiding: “I was naked.” (Not to put words in God’s mouth, but He’s like: Uhm. That’s not the problem, y’all.) He skips right past their diversion and goes directly to the heart of their issue, their disobedience: “Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
There is a difference between the way we perceive our sin problem and God’s understanding of the core issues. It can be summed up in the subtle difference between guilt and shame. Shame is lie-based, accusation-oriented, and it drives us toward isolation. Shame attempts to hijack our identity, declaring, “You are _______ .” Fill in the blank… dirty, unlovable, terrible, no good. Shame causes us to question who we are in Christ. Guilt, on the other hand, is truth-based, factually-oriented, and it drives us toward resolution. Guilt says, “I did this.” We may choose to not do anything about the source of our guilt, but when we truthfully own something we’ve done, we more quickly bring closure to the situation. Guilt motivates us to make things right between ourselves and God.
God doesn’t use shame as a weapon. Neither should we. We have no reason to shame or accuse another believer. There is an enemy who already does that. Subtle phrases like, Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? or, For shame! or, Tsk, tsk, tsk! can detonate like a grenade in the heart. These words or even wordless looks of judgment and condemnation can inflict severe wounds. God’s Word reminds us that we should look for ways to encourage each other and build each other up. Stick with the truth of the forgiveness we have received and pass it along, giving loads of grace to others along the way. After all, when both need and opportunity meet in the right mix, anyone is capable of any action. Even you and me.
Wednesday’s Reflection
God can redeem even the worst about ourselves and give us a new beginning. Scripture defines repentance as turning from sin and turning to God. This begins with acknowledging the facts before God—“You were right, I was wrong”—and then admitting your need for God’s grace—“Please forgive me.” He says yes to that heartfelt and honest prayer every time. You can’t wear out your welcome with Him. He will receive you with open arms and help deliver you from the pain and struggle. Turn to Him, and let Him help you.
