And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and so I hid.” (Adam to God - Genesis 3:10, after eating the fruit)
Hear is the core of the human struggle:
* I was afraid - the core human emotion. Fear dictates and distorts more human behavior than any other emotion. Fear sells products, creates medical crisis, ruins relationships, handicaps human potential, and inflicts an innumerable array of other effects.
* Because I was naked - the core human motivation. We build walls, wear masks, tell tales, and use a creative volume of methods to hide our nakedness and protect ourselves from the vulnerability of exposure. Our unwillingness to be exposed makes authentic intimacy and trust virtually impossible.
* So I hid - the core human strategy. We hide in success, glamor, wealth, sexual exploits, athletic prowess, academic accomplishment, and especially religion. Hiding is the reflex human strategy that sabotages the joy and power of community.
Consider taking your fears head on. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the willingness to move forward in spite of our fears. What would you do right now if you were to make the courageous decision? Do it!
Consider full exposure to yourself, to God and to at least one trustworthy friend (spouse if you have one). Full exposure in the private place empowers us to live vulnerable, courageous and strong in the public place. Nothing to hide. No shame that haunts. Just freedom!
Consider refusing to hide. Identify your favorite hiding places and strategies, then refuse to default to them any longer. When you least feel up to it, come out of hiding and risk the exposure.
Followers of Jesus who are free from fear, have no shame in their nakedness, and live in the light of unhidden freedom can change the world!
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