January 24th, 2025

It was perfect in the garden. Mankind walked with God side by side, having complete connection to the source of love and belonging. God created every perfect thing necessary for complete human development. He created basic needs, safety and security as outlined in the story of Creation in Genesis 1. He provided love and belonging and the thing that He created that was the most important was identity (Genesis 2:7). This identity was without shame, fear or guilt. The beauty of God’s creation was that we knew our identity in God and we could live in peace and contentment, knowing that we needed nothing else.

Until that identity was tainted. In Genesis 3 we see the fall of mankind because of the lies of the enemy. God provided the boundaries to Adam and Eve to provide safety and security, because He knew best.(Genesis 2:16-17) . But just like a curious child, mankind was intrigued. This is where the seed of doubt was planted by Satan. He questions their trust of God by asking “did God really say?” and convincing them “you will not surely die” and the ultimate “you will be like God” (Genesis 3:1-3). The lie that was planted was that God was holding out. In that moment, fear was instituted and trust was broken. When we act out of fear, the consequences are never good. Adam and Eve had the ultimate FOMO, fear of missing out. Once they acted on the temptation, they were traumatized, robbed of their true identity and now identified with shame and disconnection instead of love and connection.

But God in all of His goodness has made a way. The entirety of the Bible is a story of redemption over and over again. God had a plan for man's fall, and He is still alive and active in that today. God provided a way through Jesus for us to have new life and restore our identity in Him and not in our sin and dysfunction.

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, He spoke to an audience that was surrounded by idolatry and immorality. He urged them in their new-found faith in Christ to stop identifying with the old ways of life and identifying with sin and begin to identify with their new identity in following Christ. Because God provided Himself as a living and breathing example in the person of Christ, God broke through the shame barrier so that we could re-connect and identify with Him.

If we recognize this truth, what holds us back? Why do we cling to our past when we can embrace a new life in Christ? Psychology suggests that addressing unhealed trauma and coming to terms with our history can pave the way for future transformation. God's vision for us is to be reconnected with Him and transformed by Christ's example.  This process requires time and dedication. We must nurture the understanding that, as new creations in Christ, once we trust and choose to follow Him, we can truly experience this change. When this belief takes root in our spirit, we begin to feel renewed. We can let go of old trauma patterns and false narratives from our past, no longer allowing them to define us.

There is immense freedom in releasing this mindset and embracing our identity in Christ. I pray that you come to know God's redeeming love and His deep desire to reconnect with you, so you can experience the love and belonging you were always meant to have.