I am going to be real with you. I do not gravitate towards people who are not real with me. People who tell me how it really goes with them. These are my people. I can meet with them and they with me. Clearly, the social distancing thing prevents face to face. This takes work, trust, and time.
God made us for fellowship
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.” 19 So the Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2 HCSB
God saw our need for fellowship. First, he recognized that we are better together. Second, he made a helper as a complement. Third, God gave us the gift of naming the animals. I think of what relationships are with animals today and wonder what the relationships were like then.
20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man[n] no helper was found as his complement. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. Genesis 2 HCSB
God knew there was no complement among the animals, but he knew the man had to understand this as well. What a beautiful thought. It should be noted, he allowed the man to walk through the process of naming, meeting and seeing each animal. There was no complement. So, the man slept and God took a rib. God made a woman. Brought her to the man.
God walks with us
Nevertheless, sin enters the world. God knows, and in the cool of the evening, he walks in the beautiful garden he created to find his beloveds. They are hiding.
Stop for a moment and think this through with me. What if we didn’t? What if instead we ran out of our hiding and told God everything right away? Confessed it. Lord God, I ate the fruit. She ate the fruit. We listened to the lies.
God calls for us
Alas, we did not. He calls for us. Where? Who? What?
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze,[c] and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard You[d] in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?”
And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3 HCSB
God moves toward finding the root, the heart, the confession, whereas the couple blames, throws up walls and tries to wound. These stories show us profoundly God’s heart toward us and our limited view of him. Indeed, he runs toward us and we try to feed him lies and cover up with fig leaves. Furthermore, he has given us beauty and we hide in the shadows believing the lies of the enemy.
Today
Finally, God has made us for community with him and also community with others. Yes, it is harder with COVID-19, and yet, it can be found. Let us find ways to reach out to our friends and family, make amends and build bridges. Stay in community. (However, toxic family and friends, if you have them, then you need to know that this information is not geared toward you. You need to be healthy in your boundaries. God gives us wisdom. God gives us counselors. Let’s be wise.)
Peace.
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