It's Good for the Soul

  “Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”” Genesis 3:9-10

  So there we have it. Man’s first confession to God.

  I was afraid.

  Man’s second confession was to blame someone else for their having disobeyed God’s command. It would seem precedence was set right from the get go because we have been doing it ever since. (Smile.)

  So let’s go back to confession. I believe it is a key component of faith practices for our Catholic brothers and sisters. The Protestants I know rarely discuss the need or the importance of confession. I guess it has fallen by the wayside because of anti-Catholic sentiment. Or maybe they simply call it by another name. I am not sure.

  It is something my church is encouraging and encourages us to do. Now, if only we can lose the fear of being vulnerable and honest with each other.

  Confession is outside the realm of religious doctrine and is far more than a ritual decreed by religious leaders.

  In the Garden of Eden, God called to the man. God is omniscient. He would have known exactly where his beloved creations were. His question, “Where are you?” was an invitation for Adam and Eve to come before Him of their own free will.

  They could have stayed silent. Instead, they must have been troubled by their new understanding of good and evil. Their purity and innocence, their peace, their lives were turned upside down in a single bite. So what did they do? They turned to God and confessed what they had done.

  In spite of what they had done, God didn’t turn His back on them. Yes, there were consequences to their actions but, as I said yesterday, God clothed them to cover their shame. He then put eternal life out of their reach for their own protection and to protect the generations that followed! This was not punishment. This was love in action.

  That was for the serpent, the deceiver. (I am going to investigate the consequences for Adam and Eve tomorrow.)

  Everything God does is an expression of His identity.

  God is love in its purest form.

  For someone who has the knowledge of good and evil, it’s hard for me to understand such love but every once in a while, a light bulb goes off.  Mostly it’s because I have reached the point where hiding is no longer an option.

  Secrets kill the soul.

  The way to get rid of secrets is to talk about them with God and each other. A burden shared is a burden lightened. And that is the nature of confession. It’s a dialog, a conversation and an opportunity to toss aside the fig leaves.

  Sharing/confession/admission/disclosure is a key component of any relationship. While God has the advantage in knowing everything about us, confession is a way to get to know Him better.

  Fig leaves do a far better job in keeping a fig tree alive. AMEN!