Genesis 3:1-10
I once read in a magazine that, “the fight or flight response, also known as the acute stress response, usually refers to a physiological reaction that occurs in the presence of something terrifying, either mentally or physically.
The response is triggered by the release of hormones that prepare your body to either stay and deal with a threat or to run away to safety.”[1] I am so glad that I was able to discover some sort of clinical definition of what I remember as the first time I hid from my dad.
The incident happened when I was about 6 or 7 years old. The living room in our house was like a museum exhibit. Dare I say, I can imagine the room being roped off with velvet rope. There was fancy artwork on the wall, nice furniture, and the carpet was plush. My parents would entertain their guests in this room. Needless to say, the room was OFF LIMITS!! I remember one Saturday afternoon that I was playing with a childhood friend that came over to visit. I don’t know where we got the idea from, but we decided to play baseball in the house. That’s right, baseball. Did we choose to use a rolled-up sock? No. Maybe we were smart enough to use a sponge Nerf ball? No. What did we use, you ask? That’s right, you guessed it...a real baseball! I can see the incident in slow motion. My friend tossed the ball to me in an underhand motion. I didn’t mean to swing so hard, but there it went. I saw the ball fly through the air, swiftly gliding past the dining room area, and smash right through the glass door of the living room. I broke the fabulous living room glass door.
I didn’t know what to do. It was at this moment, I’m sure, the hormones were released in my body, and every fiber of my being was telling me to RUN! So, I ran, and I hid in the closet. I can hear my father running down the stairs screaming, “What was that?” I sat silently in the closet, hoping that this moment would pass. He said it again, but this time I heard a little hint of annoyance in his voice. “Christopher? Christopher Alexander?”, he began to shout. I heard his footsteps walking down the hallway, and he paused right in front of the closet door. “Christopher? Don’t let me call you again.” I opened up the closet door to find my friend pointing his finger right at me. I looked up at my dad and he was furious. At that moment, I thought it would be impossible for my father to still love me.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they experienced something for the first time...fear. In Genesis 3:8, it states, “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” They hid. They knew that they did something wrong, and they hid from their dad. Here’s the thing: no one can hide from God. We make excuses for our sin, and we intellectualize our behavior and hide in closets of professional guilt, but sooner or later, we will all have to face our dad. His footsteps will pause right outside the door of heart, and he will call our name. How will you answer? Rather than hide in fear, we can respond in this way: “God have mercy on me, I’m a sinner”. In 1 John 1:9, it states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all righteousness.”
Ultimately, I did receive a spanking that day, and I helped my dad clean up the broken glass, but I never doubted his love. I confessed my actions, I received my discipline, and guess what, my dad did not disown me. Instead of hiding in a closet, trying speaking to your Heavenly Father. You might be surprised to know, He loves you more than you can ever imagine.
Now that’s Good Word!
[1]Kenda Cherry, “How the Fight or Flight Response Works”, Very Well Mind
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