"When they heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden."
Genesis 3:8
The thing about shame is that the feeling sticks with you long after the offense is over and forgiven. In fact, fifty-odd years after the neighborhood kids and I picked flowers from a neighbor's garden, I can still feel the shame I felt afterward. I knew it was wrong, and I was terrified of getting caught. I remember sitting on the couch later with Mrs. Miron (babysitter) and just writhing there in shame and guilt. I can still feel it! And the thing about this reading, after Adam and Eve experience the shame of their malfeasance, look what God does...
"For the man and his wife, the Lord God made leather garments, with which he clothed them." (Genesis 3:21).
God knew the shame that Adam and Eve felt was not what he had in mind for them. God was the one who protected them in their own shame! God doesn't want us to feel that shame, either. Just turning toward God, recognizing that we could do things better, and God is busy making us garments too. God only and always loves us...God will always protect us from what is harmful to us--even if it is our own shame. Love, heidi
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