More than Fallen

“…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them; Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” ~ Genesis 1:27, 31

It started with the fall. Growing up, most conversations that I remember about God and my relationship to Him began with how great He was and I was not. I vividly recall the tension in my back, sitting in Sunday service, waiting for the pastor to pound his fist and proclaim what was wrong with the rest of us. We were sinners – unworthy and destined to dwell in our unworthiness. My story began with my fall, I was defined by my deficit. I believed I was filthy. Unlovable. And somewhere way above the clouds, far removed from me, was a disappointed, finger-wagging Father who breathed a heavy sigh every time He looked my way.

It’s not that I wasn’t aware of Christ’s love. We read the words and sang the songs. I memorized the 23rd Psalm like everyone else. But in my mind His love for me was parental and disciplinary, almost obligatory. Someone had to be there to keep my hand out of the spiritual cookie jar. God protected me from myself because He had to.

My breakthrough moment came last year during the first week of our Rooted group study.  I was nervous walking in, unsure that I was ready to tell the story of my broken self to strangers. But this time instead of starting with the fall we began at the true beginning – creation.  I discovered that my story does not begin with my failure, it originates from God’s love and intention to create me in His image. My story starts with His desire to have a relationship with me. I’m not the pesky kid that God HAS to wrangle, I’m the precious child He LONGS to hold. Yes I have fallen, I fail Him daily, but I am not defined by my failures. I am truly known.

How much more effective would we be in sharing God’s love if we all stood in the confidence that our stories begin there?  I am challenged to keep this perspective in my daily interactions. It’s easy to focus on where others have failed us.  Instead I choose to approach others mindful that the beginnings of their stories are the same as my own.