We always try to hide. Instead of running to our place of freedom, we cower in the shadows, lowering our heads, our gaze fixed to the ground. Will we never learn? Will we never understand that He who is love incarnate knows our frail selves better than do we?He reaches down to give us help, but with eyes fixed down so many times we do not see it. He looks upon us with the deepest love, ready to embrace our broken selves, but we believe that punishment awaits us—so we hide!
And here He is, ever-patient, ever-kind, awaiting our arms to grow weary in their protective stance. When they fall, perhaps then we will be ready to come clean with it. When we have no strength to cower, no place more to hide, perhaps then we’ll realize our place of freedom has always been with Him.
He is not called “Savior” for no reason.
Artwork: Deianira by Evelyn De Morgan
Hello Stacey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your very insightful post.
When we first come to God, very often a significant portion of our lives has passed. There is a pain involved in coming to the Light - shame and guilt and contrition. We cannot drag our pride and self esteem into His presence. The further we have drifted to the dark side, the more painful it is to come to the Light.
This is true the first time we come to Him, and every time thereafter. Sin doth so easily ensnare us and the Light that frees us, reveals it to us and humbles us.
It's like apologizing after an argument with our spouse - it's not easy to let go of our pride, face the guilt and say we're sorry. It is death to the outer man, the ego, which thrives on pride and self-centeredness. But it is life to the inner man which thrives on its connection with God. It is hard to apologize to our spouse (or whomever), but we always feel so refreshed and happy and clean when we do. It is the same when we repent and return to God after drifting into our daily sin - there is a barrier of painful humbling we must pass through to enjoy the forgiveness and joy on the other side.
Sin nourishes our pride, coming to the Light burns away our pride, which is painful, hence the hiding and cowering. But as we grow and become more and more dependent on Him as the source of our being, we return to Him quicker and quicker, despising the shame, guilt and contrition in our fervent desire to re-establish our loving communion with Him.
I know you know all this, Stacey, but your writings trigger a cascade of thoughts in my little pea-brain, and like Malachi and Peter say, it's good to remember and talk about these things.
Bob (a reader)