Out of Hiding

Last Friday, Jen and I heard Leonard Sweet, a theologian, speak. He said a lot of things that were really deep over which I am still mulling. One in particular struck a deep chord for me. He talked about the word truth. We translate the Greek word aletheia as truth, but its root meaning is "to come out of hiding into the light." In other words, truth is about relationship. What need is there to hide unless we are hiding from someone or something?

In Genesis 3, it is clear that God is interested in relationship--God likes to walk and talk in the garden. One evening however, the two humans are hiding. It's not that God could not find them. God honored boundaries, and called for them. They are hiding because they are afraid--because they are naked. Well, they have been naked all along, but now they know their nakedness, and they are ashamed.

How often do we hide-- from God, from ourselves, from others-- because we are ashamed? That shame may take many forms, but at the root it is because others might see the real me, know my nakedness, and realize how inadequate I am.

The insight that came for me as I have reflected on this is that I, and so many others, try to hide --cover up our shame, our nakedness, and our inadequacies-- by behaviors that become addictive. Hence, we hide further in the darkness, compounding our fear of being found and seen, all because we are sure that when others see us as we are, they will shun us, and despise us. That is what we think will happen with God, too.

The truth, though, is that God seeks us, searches for us, not to shun us, but to be in loving relationship with us. The Light came into the world to bring us life, not death. Now, if only my entire being would believe it.

John 1:1-4
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.