Where Do You Think You Can Hide?

The moment Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened. In other words, they knew they had blown it. Suddenly, all they wanted to do was hide from God. They knew they had made a royal mess of things, and all they could think of was getting out of Dodge. Suddenly, instead of the infinite wisdom they could have had through their intimate relationship with God, they were hit with a major case of "the stupids". They actually thought they could hide from God! Suddenly realizing they didn't have any clothes on, they tried to make some out of fig leaves. If you've ever seen or touched a fig leaf, that act in itself illustrates that they weren't too smart. Then they tried to get real skinny and stand behind a tree, figuring God wouldn't notice that something odd was going on. Really bright, weren't they?

I remember once when one of my sons did something he shouldn't have. I discovered what he had done quite easily, but the evidence only revealed that an indiscretion had been committed either by him or by one of his friends or by a collective effort. I confronted several very frightened little boys, firmly explaining that unless someone confessed, I would be on the phone shortly calling all of their mothers and that my son would be grounded for quite a while. Grounding in our home meant total separation - separation from the family, from friends, from activities, from television and radio - real "solitary confinement" for whatever time was prescribed. I never wanted to ground one of my children, but it was sometimes the only way to get a point across to them. So after setting a "confession deadline" of when I returned from the Bible study I was teaching, I left. When I got home a couple of hours later, my son confessed. His punishment was to listen to a brief, calm lecture, to be required to apologize and promise never to do it again, and to receive a big hug as his reward for confessing. He said, "Mom, do you know what I've just learned? If you do something wrong and try to hide it or lie, you'll get in a lot of trouble. But if you do something wrong and tell the truth and promise never to do it again, you get in just a little trouble. And you get a lot of love."

When you and I try to ignore our sin, figuring that if we don't mention it, God won't notice, we're being just as stupid as Adam and Eve. And we're building just as big a barrier between ourselves and God as they did. By trying to ignore our sin in hopes that it will just go away, we shut ourselves off from God's incredible grace and mercy. By shutting Him out... by allowing sin to come between ourselves and the Lord... we fool ourselves into thinking that we're taking the easy way out.

But where do you think you can hide? And why do you want to? Why do you want to deny yourself the blessed comfort of being in His presence? Why do you avoid tearing down every barrier of sin that stands between you and God's grace? Why not open your heart to His warmth and love? Simply open the door and let Him come in.

Just as God went looking for Adam and Eve, wanting to enjoy their company, God wants to be close to you and me. He really wants to have fellowship with us. He wants to be with us, talking with us, guiding us, loving us. When we sin, we separate ourselves from Him. When we try to ignore or hide our sin, we prolong that separation. He wants us to confess. He wants us to turn to Him, not away. And when we do, He's there waiting for us with open arms, with forgiveness, with understanding... and with a lot of love.

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:7-10;23-24 NIV

Used with Permission