Their first inclination was to hide...from God.
Adam and Eve did the express thing God told them not to do, and rather than finding him and coming clean, they hid.
We see even young children do something they know not to do, and hope their parents do not uncover it.
Are we wired to step into full confession, or do we have to overcome some tendency to hide our missteps and sins?
It does not feel it is in my wiring to confess easily; in fact, something in me always wants to hide, even from God.
I am always impressed with my recovering alcoholic friend's ease at saying, "I need to make amends." Because Alcoholics Anonymous creates an environment of confession, people practice and practice, over and over, perhaps breaking down whatever obstacles that seem to always rise to tempt us to hide from confession.
We've been exploring the concept of spiritual autism, remarking first on autism itself.
Autism is the absence of love demonstrated. A young child's slide into autism usually contains a reversal of existing love and warmth and belonging. The family fabric finds itself frayed and torn and has to cope with an absence of what once was.
Hmm...Adam and Eve began in full fellowship with God, love demonstrated at its best. Their choice--their slide into sin--carried them into a reversal of existing love and warmth and belonging. The family fabric of humanity found and continues to find itself frayed and torn and has to cope with an absence of what once was.
But then Jesus arrived. He created the weave of fabric that restores us to God. It requires only one thing: our confession that we need to be restored to God and the only one that can accomplish that is the person of Jesus.
The solution is in front of us...but we hide.
We become spiritually autistic toward God when we slide away from his offer of radical love, warmth and belonging. Does he feel like we feel when trying to relate to our autistic children? Toward him, we interrupt our communication to chase fruitless impulses, we love in fits and starts and throw tantrums of thanklessness, and we choose to stay stuck in a place without benefits trapped by an unseen power that holds us hostage.
Aversion to confession feeds this unseen power and we remain hostage, hiding from God, missing out on his greatest offer: being restored by his love and grace and radical, ever-ready forgiveness.
When churches and friends and family create environments where confession is cultivated, shared and celebrated, we practice and practice, over and over, and stay turned toward God. We position ourselves to best eradicate spiritual autism.
Off to practice.
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