In Genesis, God creates man to have fellowship with him. God shows up daily to walk with man genuinely desiring fellowship with him. The thing I always forget when reading this story is that God is unchanging. His desire is still fellowship with his creation, including me and including you. After the fall it was man who changed. Man took his eyes off the relationship and looked at himself. He saw nakedness and felt shame, and from his changed heart decided to deny fellowship with God, but God showed up, right on time saying, “Where are you?”
He knew man had eaten from the tree, and still he wanted to walk with them. He knew man was made from dust and that he was naked, but that’s how he saw man from the beginning. His view of them had not changed, and neither had his desire. His desire was still to fellowship with man, his child.
God hadn’t changed then, and he still hasn’t now. He shows up daily and calls to me and to you, “Where are you?” Even after a month, a year or a lifetime of turned backs and missed daily walks he still shows up. He values the relationship and misses the fellowship. He’s sitting there waiting on me and he’s sitting there waiting on you too. So show up. Show up naked; show up with your shame; just show up because his desire hasn’t changed. He knows your condition despite your hiding; just like he knows the value of the relationship despite the lack of fellowship. You are his child; he is your father, and he is not changing.
