THE SILENCER

Genesis 3:6-10

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

Jana was hurting. Her friend Emily was the cause. Where is she? Hadn't we agreed for months to do this? Jana called her friend, who lived in
another state. She wasn't home, so Jana left a voice-mail.

Emily didn't respond.

Over the next week, Jana learned the truth from a few people in the know. The reason Emily hadn't shown up for their mini-vacation was that she had received a "better offer." Someone had proposed something that sounded more interesting to Emily, so she blew off her plans with Jana.

This made the pain even worse. The hurting friend called again. Emily wasn't there. Jana left another voice-mail. The return call didn't come. This went on for months. Message after message was left on the answering machine. But there was only silence on the other end.

Finally, just days before she knew she was going to see Jana at a party, Emily called. The guilt that had kept her silent for so long was apparent in her quavering voice.

When I talked to Jana about this situation, it reminded me of my own guilt. How many times have I gone silent because I knew I had hurt a friend?

Adam and Eve did the same thing with God. After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, something God had prohibited (Genesis 2:17), they were filled with guilt.

After their disobedient act, God was walking in the Garden. Adam and Eve heard Him, but instead of coming out of the trees and experiencing sweet fellowship as they normally did, they hid. They were suffering in silence. God broke the quiet tension with three simple words: "Where are you?" (3:9).

Do you have a friend who's trying to reach you? Are you avoiding him and giving him the silent treatment because of your own guilt?

It's time to open up and confess your sin. Stop the silence and start healing. --Tom Felten

DESTINATION POINTS

* Is there someone I have been avoiding because of my guilt?
* Have I been silent before God? What does He want me to do about this silent strife?

LINKS:
How does the Bible say I should handle a fellow Christian who has wronged me?
http://www.questions.org/answer/relate/confrontation/confront.xml/

When Forgiveness Seems Impossible
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb941

bottom line: Silence isn't golden when guilt is the cause.

soul journey