“9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ 10 And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’ – Genesis 3:9-10
Ever since this exact moment in history, man has been hiding.
The great fall of humanity into sin effects everyone, male and female. But this aspect has a unique implication on Adam and his descendants. Why is Adam hiding? Because he is exposed. He knows he has sinned and missed the mark, and the last thing he wants is to be found out. Ever since this moment there has been a fear in man for him to be known for who he is. He sews fig leaves to cover his nakedness.
Every man has his own fig leaf, as John Eldridge explains:
“We are hiding, every last one of us, Well aware that we, too, are not what we were meant to be, desperately afraid of exposure, terrified of being seen for what we are and are not, we have run off into the bushes. We hide in our office, at the gym, behind the newspaper and mostly behind our personality. Most of what you encounter when you meet a man is a facade, an elaborate fig leaf, a brilliant disguise.” – (Wild at Heart, pp. 64)
I’m beginning to see that in order for God to truly shape my heart and bring about the changes I am praying for, He has to take away all of the places that I can hide from Him.
And that, is uncomfortable. But neccesary.
