Back to our story (in reference to previous post)…“But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”And God said, “Who told you that you were naked?”
I’ve been doing this online bible studies, meeting new people and connecting with others that have been in my life for a while as we journey through Psalm 139. Often our conversations drift toward reflecting on things from our past, messages we have picked up while riding life’s roller coaster. As we share with each other we are challenging some of our lines of thought, in a way we are asking, “Who told you that?” Who told you that you were too much? Who told you that you were not enough? Who told you that?
Once we can get a sense of “where we are,” we can often begin to sort through the pieces of the puzzle that shaped our arrival. I love humanity’s response:
“‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?’The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”
Now we arrive at the original “it wasn’t me.” (not in ref. to Shaggy)
One of my favorite authors and teachers is Father Richard Rohr. He shares during a workshop about childhood wounds, those moments during youth that we carry with us, he notes that sometimes those wounds come from peers, sometimes from our parents, other times from complete strangers, but he makes this statement, “It doesn’t matter where they came from, they are yours now.” In no way to dismiss the reality of their impact, but more to bring clarity to the fact that while you cannot undo them, they are yours, and returning them back to your ownership, to allow you to choose how to move forward, is a vital part of you stepping out of the shadows, out from where you are hiding.
I don’t thing God gives us space to reflect on “who told you that” in an effort to have us wallow or blame, but more to have us recognize it was not God. It reminds me of Jesus’ theme of “You’ve heard it said, but I say…”
There is often a stark contrast between how we view ourselves and how God sees us, and that contrast cycles through our life experiences. If we are not consistently checking in, allowing God to call, “Where are you?” checking our inner dialogue with “Who told you that?” we run the risk of feeling misplaced and buying into to lies.
Take a moment. What is something you believe about yourself? Maybe something you have been telling yourself for a while. I hope more and more you find yourself connecting with the One that said long ago when speaking about creation, and said repeatedly, “it is good.”