Hey God, Can We Talk? Difficult Conversations 预览

Hey God, Can We Talk? I Royally Screwed Up 

When we royally screw up with God, it can be really difficult to navigate some of the potholes and landmines in our faith journey, let alone have any kind of constructive con­versation with Him. But there is lots of hope for us when we blow it with God based on the very first conversation in the Bible that happened between God and man. 

God told Adam not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but he disobeyed. Prior to this decision, Adam and Eve had lived in paradise! There was abundant food, ease of living, the absence of shame, a peaceful rhythm to life, and a constructive alignment with God. When Adam and Eve screwed up, everything began to unravel. So, what does a conversation with God look like when we royally screw up? 

Let’s appreciate that the first time we see any dialogue or discussion between God and man is after Adam messed up. I want to make this point clear to you, dear reader, because we can often have the mindset that our conversa­tions with God are the deepest and most fruitful when we are walking in proper alignment and when our relationship with God is on the straight and narrow. But the conversation between God and Adam does not confirm that line of thinking. 

Furthermore, how Adam behaved after he screwed up can also mirror some of our actions and mindsets when we mess up. Consider what Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3:7-8 immediately after they ate the forbidden fruit. In these verses, we read that Adam and Eve recognized that they were naked and felt ashamed, so they tried to cover themselves. When they heard God walking through the Garden, they hid because they were afraid of Him. It is noteworthy to think about Adam and Eve hiding from God because we often behave the same way with God when we screw up. We can feel ashamed, unworthy, scared, uncomfortable, or inadequate, and we want to distance or hide from Him. But, despite our efforts to create distance from God when we screw up, God seeks us out to converse with us for restoring connection and communication. 

God’s behavior in the Garden of Eden toward Adam and Eve demonstrates this principle: “Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9).  God could have said some very truthful, shaming, and even harsh things like, “I made this whole garden for you, Adam, and I gave you one small instruction that you didn’t keep.” 

In God’s question to Adam, “Where are you?” it looks as if God is endeavoring to find Adam even though God knows exactly where Adam is. Indeed, among all of the questions God could ask, He asks the most relational question possible. God already knows the answers to all these questions, and it was not God’s intent to make Adam defensive, shamed, ostracized, berated, or belittled. The question that God asks Adam is meant to communicate to him that God is looking for him and wants him to stop hiding or pulling away from Him.

When we screw up with God, we should remember that God does not want us to hide from Him. Instead, He wants to be present with us and to talk about what happened. Even when we mess up, God wants to reconcile us to Himself. That is who God is—genuine love.

Reflection:

· Similar to Adam and Eve, are you afraid of God?

· Where are the places in your life that you might be hiding from God?