figs and skins
I didn’t expect to be writing again so soon. Life is hard. It’s hard to wrestle with this. One of the biggest lies believed about Christianity is that following God will somehow fix our lives. This reminds me of false teachings like the prosperity gospel, which proclaims that following God will make you financially rich. I say “money rich” because following God WILL make you rich, but spiritually, not with money. God may bless you with money or fame, but that is only a blessing, not a symptom of faith.
Since deciding to actually follow Jesus and not just go through the motions, I’ve been continuously reminded of my vulnerability. I don’t know where that comes from, but I suspect it comes from my depression. It’s hard to grapple with the thoughts of reality and the thought of what will happen to us when we die. In my life, when I start to feel like something is off within me, I turn to a mental checklist: Am I eating enough? Am I eating good food? Am I sleeping enough? I use these as a gauge to tell how my mental health is. Recently, all three have been off, and the issue is being addressed. That issue is what I want to talk to you about.
In Genesis, we learn about the creation of earth and Adam and Eve. We also learn about their sin and how they hid from God. I connected this story with my life during my Bible study today. Often, our response to discovering a pattern of sin in our lives is to hide from God. Many of us feel so guilty that we begin to doubt our salvation and stop reading God’s word. This can lead to depression and neglect of our physical needs like eating and sleeping.
A while back, I was reading Genesis along with other passages and books in the Bible, looking for times when God the Father showed His love. In the garden, God’s response to Adam and Eve’s sin starts with Him looking for them. He pursued them and asked why they were hiding from Him. There’s a brief conversation about sin, and this is where God explains the consequences of their actions, but before God sends them out of the garden, He made clothes for Adam and Eve.
If you haven’t read Genesis in a while, remember how the first thing Adam and Eve noticed was their nakedness, and they felt ashamed and guilty. Then, try to get rid of their shame by sewing fig leaves together. Clearly this covering wasn't sufficient because God made clothes from animal skins. This is God’s love on full display. How amazing is it that God made clothes for Adam and Eve instead of just cursing them and abandoning them? He didn’t stop there either, but that’s a blog post for another day. You have to ask yourself if you’re sewing fig leaves together or remembering God’s love for you in that He provides you with what you’ll need…clothes made of animal skins.
I laugh thinking about how foolish my response to my shame and guilt in recent days has been. I guess you could say I get pretty creative with how I hide from God. Nevertheless, God still clothed me. Our response shouldn’t be to continue hiding from God after that. I am reminded that I am covered. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Jesus stepped in on my behalf. Be reminded that Jesus saved you too.
In the mean time, always remember Jesus’s sacrifice, and be sure to honor God in everything you enter, can, say, wish, will, want, remember do, pray, tell, think, or believe and choose the narrow gate.
-Elijah