It's Not My Fault
Genesis 3:8-13
It seemed like a good idea at the time. For Eve, wisdom seemed like the smart choice - for Adam, it seemed like a good idea to share in Eve's fate. But when it came time to actually face their Friend and Creator, it didn't seem like such a good idea after all. They could see immediately that their choices had been wrong. Yet they just couldn't bring themselves to admit their own responsibility.
There's a wonderful group of people that meet each Sabbath morning to share with each other insights that God has given. I am privileged to lead the discussion group - to ask real questions about real issues we face in our everyday lives. This text was brought up a few weeks ago and one of the members shared a great insight with us: When we do something that damages a relationship, part of the restoration process is admitting the mistake and asking for forgiveness. We also go out of our way to avoid doing the same thing again. This is repentance.
I had never really realized what the function of repentance was - it is a vital step in the restoration of the relationship. This is why God asks us to repent. It's not to make us feel bad or to send us on a guilt trip - it's to start healing the relationship. Without repentance the process of restoration is incomplete.
However, before repentance can occur someone has to reach out across the divided relationship. Logically, that should be the person who did the damaging deed. But in this relationship, it's God who reaches out first - He's the one calling out, "Where are you?" We're the ones hiding in the bushes.
It's God who always reaches out to us first. He wants our relationship to be restored. He wants us to take responsibility for our own decisions and resulting actions because this is necessary for the healing of the relationship. He freely forgives, if we will just realize we need His forgiveness and ask for it.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. For Eve, wisdom seemed like the smart choice - for Adam, it seemed like a good idea to share in Eve's fate. But when it came time to actually face their Friend and Creator, it didn't seem like such a good idea after all. They could see immediately that their choices had been wrong. Yet they just couldn't bring themselves to admit their own responsibility.
There's a wonderful group of people that meet each Sabbath morning to share with each other insights that God has given. I am privileged to lead the discussion group - to ask real questions about real issues we face in our everyday lives. This text was brought up a few weeks ago and one of the members shared a great insight with us: When we do something that damages a relationship, part of the restoration process is admitting the mistake and asking for forgiveness. We also go out of our way to avoid doing the same thing again. This is repentance.
I had never really realized what the function of repentance was - it is a vital step in the restoration of the relationship. This is why God asks us to repent. It's not to make us feel bad or to send us on a guilt trip - it's to start healing the relationship. Without repentance the process of restoration is incomplete.
However, before repentance can occur someone has to reach out across the divided relationship. Logically, that should be the person who did the damaging deed. But in this relationship, it's God who reaches out first - He's the one calling out, "Where are you?" We're the ones hiding in the bushes.
It's God who always reaches out to us first. He wants our relationship to be restored. He wants us to take responsibility for our own decisions and resulting actions because this is necessary for the healing of the relationship. He freely forgives, if we will just realize we need His forgiveness and ask for it.
posted by d2 at 6:06 AM
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