It’s interesting. 

I discovered something fascinatingly new to me in my study of Gensis.

Do you know how Adam & Eve first responded to God after the Curse?

The Lord was quietly walking through his Garden in the evening, and he called to his children gently. 

And what was their immediate response?

They were hiding because they were FEARFUL.

Their first response, in a suddenly fallen state of mind, was to be afraid. 

But why? 

God had not changed. God was still the same. God was their Creator. God was quietly seeking them. God had a calm and kind voice. God cared enough to seek them. God was still there.

Why were they afraid?

My theory is that with the bite of fruit – from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil – came the curse of fear. They didn’t achieve knowledge like the Serpent said they would; they didn’t achieve God-like power like the Serpent said they would; they didn’t become more or better.

They became less. Weak. Frail. Ashamed. Lonely. Timid. Self-conscious. Fearful.

I’ve learned through my Counselor these past five years that fear is part of living in a fallen world. Fear is a result of the curse, the result of sin. 

Fear does not lead to freedom. 

Fear leads to frailty, failure, flaws, faithlessness.

God has made a way for us to live without fear. He wants us to be free from what fear does to our hearts. 

And so, I surmise, that is why God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He wants to be that constant in our lives, that sovereign entity, that solid rock, that sure tide, that steady voice, that quiet whisper, that shoulder to lean on, that faithful friend, that persistent pursuer. 

We’ve changed since the Curse came upon this world. We’ve been poisoned by fear. 

But God has not changed. 

I envision God walking slowly, steadily, surely through the woods of this world. 

He’s lifting branches, looking behind thick brush, searching beyond the cover of leaves and quietly speaking to each of our frail and fearful hearts, 

“Please. Don’t be afraid. I am not afraid of your pain. I am not afraid of your shame. I know how much it hurts. You don’t have to hide from me. Though fear has tainted you, I am not afraid of you, and I will always be here for you. I love you enough to find you. And I love you enough to give you freedom. Fear is not your friend. But, I AM.”

Thank you, Jesus. Set us FREE.       

In the hands of the potter,