Good morning everyone,

Genesis 3:10-And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."

I believe seeing "our first parents" in the situation of dealing with sin and shame gives us a look at how we react, and sometimes try and go about our daily lives. The issue of personal sin and shame runs much deeper than a personal fault before God. In context of the whole scene where Adam and Eve ate the apple, they not only had personal shame to deal with alone. But that personal shame kept them from any real intimacy from each other, by "covering themselves" with fig leaves from one another.

I really believe it would be no suprise if we did a poll with Christians and unbelievers and asked them what is the greatest breakdown in society? Many of them would probably say the family. Though we certainly wouldn’t share the same answer to that breakdown, it gives us an insight as to how vital relationships are in our world. Yet with family having such a vital role, many times it is the shame between two people that causes many fights and breakups because one or both will not deal with their shame. In doing so we hide ourselves and eventually blame. (Genesis 3 v 11,12).

Denial, even for us as Christians is a very dangerous place to try and live. To deny living a life of sin in one’s personal life is first self-decieving, because we have to pretend we are not ashamed (James 1 v23). Second, to live in continual shame must be worth compromising any real hope of intimacy and love in our relationships, because it is always God who we first hide from when we live in sin. This is what makes a life of repenting of sin glorifying to Christ, because we first honor Him as the One we dare not hide from because we love Him. But second we realize that there are people who we love, so hiding myself from them will not allow growth in the relationship, or establish a closeness that families need. Leaving it impossible to have any real fellowship and love in a church.

In His Love, Ld