“[Brokenness and sin] are two sides of the same coin. They buttress and continue to beget each other. Because of the fall we are rebellious, certainly, but through the fall we are also broken, and that brokenness furthers our rebellion and continues to beget more brokenness and more rebellion. . . . a smokescreen to avoid the truth.”- Kyle Strobel and John Coe
As Kyle Strobel and John Coe move on in Chapter 5 of When God Seems Distant, they underscore that brokenness always goes along with sin. Because, Kyle and John observe, when people focus solely on sin and pride:
- they tend to possess a naive view of human brokenness.
- their solutions tend toward self-help or quick, spiritualized fixes.
- they end up trying to ignore their brokenness and manage their sin.
Therefore, in the end, that leaves their brokenness untouched. As a result, that brokenness drives their lives. Above all, it seduces them into thinking they’ve inoculated themselves against their pride. But that pride still really drives them. Thus, filled with shame, Adam and Eve responded the way we all do: They covered themselves.
Hence, Kyle and John explain:
“In the midst of this experience the Lord comes into the garden. Adam and Eve hide themselves from God, knowing deep inside that they don’t want to be seen. They hide because they are afraid. Once again, we see the human condition in sin. Fear and anxiety cause them to believe that God himself is the problem that needs to be managed. . . . Adam and Eve hide themselves, not wanting to be seen as they are.
Importantly, Adam and Eve’s is not just one experience of sin and brokenness, but is the experience of sin and brokenness for all of us.”
Thus, the authors point out, like Adam and Eve, we generate strategies of hiding and covering, managing and manipulating, thinking they offer protection.
Today’s question: What do you use as a smokescreen to avoid the truth? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Fault lines in the soul: