If Only They Had Listened

Photo by Maksim Goncharenok from Pexels

Tragedy Shook Their Foundation

Somewhere many greats ago I had great-grandparents. I don’t know what they looked like because that was before photography. I’ve heard stories though. Apparently they were rather amazing. Some would say, flawless. Until…

Tragedy shook their foundation. Their peaceful world got invaded. One of the hardest parts of the story, to me, is that it was self-inflicted injury. It was… their fault.

If only they had listened. If only they had obeyed. If only…

But they didn’t.

Yet. Someone stepped in who cared. Someone dared to walk in such a way that they could hear his footsteps in the midst of agonizing pain. Someone dared to call out, Where are you?

Naked and Ashamed, they hid.

Yet… the familiar voice of The One Who Cared called out. Where are you?

We are here, Lord. Hiding. Naked and Ashamed

A new conversation started. A new script. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. But it was.

The One Who Cared stepped into their brokenness. Not from a distance. He came to their very place of hiding. He came with love. He came to cover. He came to clothe. He came… Thank God. He came.

He still comes. Walking. Calling out our name.

Where are you?

Truly. Where are you? He wants to meet us here. In honest communication. In acknowledging that we too struggle with the effects of sin. Be it self-inflicted or other inflicted or devil inflicted. Whatever… The biggest deal is that something happened that caused pain and shame. And He Cares. He wants to help.

He wants to meet us Right Where We Are. He wants to clothe and cover. He wants us to know that there is still hope… in spite of it all.

He is calling out now. Where are you?

Will you answer?

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and the woman heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man (and woman), Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9 NLT