I've Got You Covered

Don’t you kinda feel naked if someone knocks on your door unexpectedly?  You take this quick sweeping look to see what they’ll see.  And you feel slightly exposed.  It’s like too much information that you just were not planning to share right then.  And I just had this happen when Andrew invited our neighbors in for a look around our house while I was in the midst of having had grandkids for the night and a big mess in the kitchen making food for upcoming events.  Really, it wasn’t the way I would have liked to show my home their first time in…

Our homes are just the beginning though. If we are honest, we only want people to see us at our best too.  We like to control what information about us gets out.  And we want it to be the best, even if it’s a lie.  How many times have you opened up, shared who you really are only to suddenly wonder why in the world you didn’t just keep your mouth shut?

l  mean, now they’re going to know  you are not perfect.  There it was that perfectly calm, happy, sinless façade let down.  It’s never something honest and positive that you regret let slip, like the day your house is perfect and someone happens by; it’s the times you are honest and you’re ugly that you desperately want to hide.

We don’t want people to know the negative; that we’re depressed, we get  angry, we’re petty, we’re scared, we feel inadequate, we’re weak, we’re really, really sinful.  We work hard to cover our flaws. And we think we will be admired for the cover up.

What is with that!?  We can be very clever with the cover up.  We all pretend to believe that we are all sinners.  But what we really mean to get across is that you are all sinners and I am pretty much perfect; I don’t sweat, I don’t display evil tendencies, I don’t hold grudges, take offense easily,make very poor life choices, in fact, I don’t need anyone for anything ever.

We think that if someone knew  who we really are they would not be able to love us; we think we can not be fully known and loved so we attempt to settle for love, false love mind you, but love.  We are convinced that if someone knew you struggled with deep sin, they would be disgusted, they could not love you.  So we first learn to hide from others and eventually we learn to hide from ourselves.

I recently had someone tell me she was dealing with bitterness. I felt honored to be told and I respected her for being able to admit to something that is foreign to none of us. We all struggle with bitterness at times, but when was the last time you felt secure enough to admit it?   On the one hand, to simply acknowledge your humanity; on the other, to risk being known.  I am not talking about venting to anyone and everyone, I am talking about being able to be real with a real friend.

Conversely, if there has been a time when you have admitted to a darker side and it was met with incredulity and tsk-tsking, you learn right away that it is time to either stuff your feelings or settle for being loved for who you are not.

I think it comes down to nakedness, the ability to stand in front of someone with all your flaws and hear them say, “I love you still.”

Before Adam sinned, he was comfortable being naked before God, in other words, fully known.  After the fall, Adam immediately covers himself and hides. Adam and Eve hide from each other with fig leaves and they hide from God in a bush.  Adam eventually tries to hide from himself by blaming Eve for his sin.  Adam and Eve previously walked with God regularly in the cool of the day- naked. After they sin, they hide from each other, from God and from themselves and  tell God they can’t take a walk because they’re naked. They were naked the day before too!   But now they realize they are nakedly flawed.

A long time after Adam and Eve’s sin, Christ came and said, “I’ve got you covered,” and took what should be our sin and made it His.  He came and said, “I know you and love you.”  He gave us the freedom to be known in all our darkest sin and love us still.  He took that vulnerable nakedness and fully covered us; covered us with His righteousness.  Not because we get our house cleaned and our life right first but while we are still a total mess he comes in and covers it all.

That is why those who know and are known by God can be real, admit their faults to God, to others and to themselves.  People like that can be real and accept real humanity of others, their sin.

A real friend will not allow you to wallow in your sin but neither will they recoil in shock, a real friend will allow you to be a sinner and encourage you to work your way out of it.  A real friend will know you and love you.  A real friend will let herself be known and allow you to love her in her humanity because she knows, she’s no better.

When you believe this, really, you will be able to be vulnerable to others.  You will be able to admit to having very human thoughts and emotions.  You won’t be busy stuffing your emotions, or living like you don’t need anybody ever.  You will be able to admit to being fully human and full of sin because Christ has said He knows you and loves you.  When you really let that seep into your very being, you will be able to be fully and honestly human and finally have the security of being fully covered.

When we try to make our own covering for our inadequacies, our sins, it’s like taking a little fig leaf and trying to hide under it.  When God covers for us, He covers fully.