Reading

Genesis 3.8-15

Adam and Eve heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent tricked me, and I ate.’ The Lord God said to the serpent,

‘Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.’

Reflection

Adam and Eve are too ashamed to admit their wrongs. Instead of taking responsibility, they seek to blame others. This is an easy trap to fall into, but it only ever makes things worse. Admitting you’ve got it wrong can be scary. No one likes to be judged or criticised or thought badly of by others. But we can’t start to repair what has gone wrong until we’re willing to admit it.

There is a tradition of “confession” in the Christian faith. Christians admit their sinfulness so they can start to dissolve some of the “stuff” that separates them from others and from God. They ask God’s forgiveness and seek to make amends. Admitting we have done something bad can feel like a trap. But it is exactly when we place ourselves into God’s hands we realise that his infinite mercy – his ability to transform any dead end into a turning point – is freedom.