At the Heart of It All

At the heart of shame and hiding is the bitter effect of fear.

And fear is poisonous to our relationships, isn’t it?

At the heart of shame and hiding is the bitter effect of fear.

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 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?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked” (Genesis 3:7-10, NLT).

Adam and Eve were immediately filled with fear when they heard God walking in the garden. What they had previously known as uninterrupted, healthy emotional attachment and connection with God was now contaminated by fear.

And fear is poisonous to our relationships, isn’t it?

Our relationships as men and women are often tainted by an overarching sense of fear. This can also be true in our relationship with God.

What is God’s response to us when fear is plaguing us? How does He relate to us?  What does He do?

Is He also afraid?

Is He disappointed by our fear?

Does He lash out in anger?

Is He offended?

Does He accuse us of being imperfect?

Or criticize us?

What do you think?  Are any of these responses true of God? At the same time, do you relate to others in any of these ways when you feel fear? If so, consider for a moment how God relates to us. And how He wants us to relate to each other.

Starting in Genesis and continuing throughout the whole Bible, we see a repetitive theme… God is always lovingly pursuing us. Jesus vividly paints this picture in Luke 15. It is the story of the prodigal son. He tells us about a God who is crazy in love with us. Who is always looking for us. In fact, He is always jumping off the porch, running toward us.

And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him (Luke 15:20, NLT).

Do you believe this is how God relates to you? Especially when you think you’re at your worst, hiding because of the shame and fear you feel?

No matter what we think or how we feel, this is how God relates to us, even when we’re afraid. He comes toward us. Always. Running to us in love. Throwing His arms around us.  Holding us close.  Breathing on us.  Loving us.  Forgiving us.  Letting us rest in His arms.  In our vulnerability.  And need.

Reflective Response:  Pause. Stop what you’re doing for at least two minutes.  Breathe deeply.

Ask God for help to let go of the fear you feel right now.  Ask Him to give you His perspective on your situation or relationship.  You might even need to close your eyes for five minutes.  And to rest.

What is important is to allow yourself to encounter the emotion in your body so that you can identify it.  Then, ask God to help you so that it doesn’t overwhelm you.