Fully Seen, Fully Loved: From Garden Shame to God’s Gentle Pursuit
We have been snowed in at our home for the past five days. No school. No work. Just family, friends who can easily make their way to us, and meaningful time together. It has been wonderful. I am a quality-time girl. I love a good cup of coffee or chai and the chance to sit one-on-one and talk.
I am also a creature of habit and fairly disciplined. This morning, like every morning, I woke up, stopped at the coffee pot, grabbed my coffee, and headed to my suede chair in the living room for my time in the Bible and prayer with God.
When I arrived, however, I was met by my husband—and soon after, our three-year-old daughter. Both were welcome, as I’m an extrovert, but I deeply value beginning my mornings alone with God.
Our daughter began showing off her latest “ballet” twirls. Her unsteady spins in the foyer were met with, “Watch this, Daddy!” and “Mommy, look at my spins!” She wanted affirmation and our full attention in that moment, which my husband and I were more than happy to give her. It is a moment I hope to always remember—the innocence of a child longing to be seen.
God sees us and even desires to be in a relationship with us. Like loving parents, God is referred to throughout Scripture as a Father—Abba.
Last week, I discussed biblical literacy and how essential it is, when reading and applying Scripture, to understand the context in which a passage was written. We have all either heard or been the person who proclaims a verse over their life without understanding its surrounding context. For example: “I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me!” quoted before running a marathon. While the sentiment is sincere, the verse is often taken out of context.
There is grace for new believers in their passion to proclaim Scripture. But when we never mature—when we fail to understand the cohesiveness of the Bible and the intent of its authors—we miss the point entirely, often claiming promises that were never the author’s original intent.
With that in mind, I want to walk through passages of Scripture—ones that have transformed how I see God because of how He reveals Himself within them.
According to tradition, the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Bible, is credited to Moses as the author. Moses would have written and orally shared this tradition with newly freed Hebrews who had come out of the slavery of Egypt and into the desert. The objective would be to reiterate the Israelites’ beginning—which is what Genesis means—and to give a narration of God’s relationship with His people.
In Genesis 2, we learn about creation and the creation of Adam, who lives within the Garden of Eden—paradise. God gives Adam identity and sets boundaries, just like a parent:
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.
God creates humanity in His image—the Triune God—and then, as King, gives dominion to Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26–28). This mission to exercise dominion and to be fruitful and multiply has not changed (Matthew 28). God then declares that it is not good for Adam to be alone and creates Eve.
Chapter 3 takes a sudden turn when Eve listens to the deceit of Satan, who appears in the form of a serpent. She eats the forbidden fruit and offers some to her husband, Adam. Their eyes are opened, just as the serpent promised. Both Adam and Eve realize that they are naked and sew fig leaves together to cover themselves. We know from the previous chapter that their nakedness brought no shame; however, after their sin of eating the fruit God had forbidden, shame enters the story.
When God comes into the Garden looking for Adam and Eve, they hide because of their nakedness. God does not pursue them to shame or condemn them. He pursues them because He loves them and desires a relationship with them—just as a healthy parent does when coming alongside a child.
The consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin is that they are put outside the Garden. God curses the serpent and prophetically speaks of the One who will come: “…he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:24, NIV). Before God issues the consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, He pronounces redemption. Jesus was never a second thought or a Plan B. God made a way for unholy people to be in the presence of a holy God.
God saw Adam and Eve. He went after them, and He made garments of skin to clothe them—not only to cover their bodies, but to remove their shame. The penalty for their sin was not condemnation; rather, it was God’s lovingkindness that led Him to remove them from the Garden. How so, you may wonder?
If Adam and Eve had remained in the Garden and eaten from the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever (Genesis 3:21–22). Now that sin had entered the world and humanity had fallen, God was preventing them from an eternity of brokenness. Instead, He would redeem them through His Son, Jesus.
We were created for relationship. This truth is evident not only in the Genesis account but throughout the entire Bible. Many of us know John 3:16 by heart, yet we often overlook the following verse: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” God has always been in the business of relationships. He sees you just as Joe and I see our daughter when she declares, “Watch me twirl!” He sees us in our twirling and in our failing. He loves us.
Reflection Questions:
In what ways do you, like Adam and Eve, try to cover yourself when you feel shame, fear, or inadequacy?
How does it change your view of God to see Him as One who pursues rather than condemns?
What does it look like for you to prioritize a relationship with God over routine, productivity, or discipline?
Are there areas of your life where you are hiding from God instead of inviting Him in? What might be keeping you hidden?
How does knowing that Jesus was never “Plan B” affect the way you understand God’s love and intentionality toward you?
Prayer:
Father God,
Thank You that You see us fully and love us completely. From the very beginning, You have pursued relationship with your people, even when we hide in shame or fear. Thank You that You do not come to condemn us, but to draw us close.
Lord, help us to lay down the fig leaves we use to cover our brokenness and instead receive the covering You provide—one of grace, mercy, and love. Remind us that Jesus was never an afterthought, but the fulfillment of Your perfect plan to redeem and restore us.
Teach us to trust Your heart, especially in moments when we do not understand Your boundaries or Your timing. Help us to believe that even when You remove us from what feels familiar or comfortable, You are protecting us from greater harm and leading us toward healing.
Thank You for being a God who sees, who pursues, and who loves us without condition. Amen