Nakedness.

In my next few blog posts, I’m going to cover some of the themes of Genesis 3:1-7 (this was for my final project for my Genesis class), but before I do, I want to talk about Adam and Eve in the garden, and the meaning behind the fact that they were naked and unashamed. I remember when I was a kid and I read this story I thought, “Ew, gross!” But now that I am older and married (and hopefully a little more mature), I see the beauty in this small phrase.

               
 When Adam and Eve were in the garden, they were completely at peace. They walked with God – think about that. They actually… walked… with God. They didn’t just pray to Him, they didn’t just hear His voice… no. They had such an intimate communion with God that they walked with Him “in the cool of the day.” How amazing is that? Adam and Eve had everything they could ever need, and God provided it for them. Not only that, but they also had a blessed intimate communion with each other. They were so vulnerable with one another, so unashamed of themselves that they were naked. All the time. Think about the kind of intimacy that is necessary in order to feel safe being naked (even emotionally) in front of another person. It’s a scary thing to be that vulnerable. Think of the last time that you poured your heart out to another person – it was scary, wasn’t it? Were you scared to be rejected for showing who you are, or did you have complete faith and trust in that person not to judge you?

                
Even though I’m married and I have a wonderful husband, being vulnerable in any sense is still scary. There’s still a part of me that doesn’t want to open up to him or have that intimacy, because that closeness opens the possibility for rejection. And then I think of Adam and Eve, before the whole mess of sin entered the world. They didn’t have those kinds of fears. In fact, they didn’t even know what fear or rejection was! Wow. I look at where they were at and wonder how in the world they could be willing to give all of that up. Perfect intimacy and communion with one another and most importantly, with the God of the universe.

               
 Think about that for a tiny minute. The God of the universe. God. Yahweh. The creator of all things. He walked with them. They had a real relationship with Him where they could dialogue with Him. They didn’t have to wonder if He was listening, they didn’t have doubts whether He existed… none of that. They had the exact relationship with God that every growing Christian longs for. And they gave it all up for a piece of fruit and their selfish and sinful desires to be like God. I like to think that I would do things differently if I were in the garden, but maybe not. Maybe I only say that because I know the pain and destruction that sin caused on the entire human race, and I wish it could be done over again.

               
 Anyway, my next few blogs will be on the different themes of Genesis 3:1-7 and how we can apply those things to our daily lives. Hope you enjoy and are encouraged and challenged by them.