Today’s reading is Genesis 2.
Heaven and earth were completed and God rested on the 7th day, making it holy. Then He went on to create man from the “dust of the earth” by “breathing into his nostrils the breath of life” Genesis 2:7. He put the man in the garden of eden to work it and take care of it. “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die’” Genesis 2:17. Then God created “a helper suitable for him” which He fashioned from Adams rib. They were man and woman, created by God, living in perfection. “Adam and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame” Genesis 2:25.
Can you imagine a life without shame? For “one shining moment” everything was perfect and just as God intended it to be. Adam and Eve lived in harmony with creation and in direct communion with God. Nothing separated them. Their purpose was to take care of the garden and each other. And “they felt no shame”. If only things could have remained that way forever!
As defined by Merriam Webster, shame is “a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety”. Shame can be a result of sin and often carries with it feelings of worthlessness and failure. When we move from true conviction over wrong doing into shame we get trapped. We become our sin and our thoughts move inward. Shame is not productive and keeps us from being all that God intended us to be.
Unlike this chapter of Genesis 2, we live in an imperfect world full of sin and shame. That sin, when left unconfessed, seperates us from God. Our shame over our sin keeps us hidden in lies of worthlessness about who we think we are. Thankfully, God sent Jesus so many years later to atone for our sin and remove the shame that comes with it. We are sinners saved by grace to live a life of freedom in Christ. Because of this sacrifice on the cross we can live a life without shame. We are defined by a God who created us in His image not by our sin.
My prayer is that shame would never steal you away from God. You are a unique creation made for His purpose. Happy New Year!!
Shelly
