Genesis 3:6-13
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LordGod as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
A lot of us walk around wearing masks. There is the “I am sexy” mask. The “I am the rock” mask. The “I am popular” mask. In churches, it can be the “I am holy” mask. We want people to think that we are strong, respected, loved or attractive and so we create an external image of our lives to control how people see us.
There are different reasons that we wear masks. They protect us from hurt and the pain of rejection. They present an attractive image of our lives to the world. Or perhaps you feel shame about who you are. Filters existed a long time before social media. The problem is that the very thing that we hope will bring us safety and connection, in fact brings distance and pain.
In today’s passage, Adam and Eve rebelled from God and ate what was forbidden to them. They were filled with a deep sense of shame and when they heard God coming, they hid. God’s call to them still resonates today.
“Where are you?”
Why do you hide yourself? Why do you pretend that you are something that you are not.
And then he follows with “Who told you that your were naked?” who said that you needed to hide? Who told you that you are not enough?
God will not bless a false version of your life. He wants you to take off the mask. Be honest with where you are, warts and all, and trust God. Vulnerability and honesty is the first step to growth and restoration. It is scary and hard but so worthwhile. Take off the mask.
