by Kiana Gonzalez
Human beings are constantly running from God. We deny his existence. We form conclusions based only on our limited knowledge. We look for meaning in anything other than Him. The reason we search for this “greater purpose” is not just because we are broken and He is the solution, but because we were made to be in a relationship with God.
The creation account ends with Adam and Eve alone with God in the garden of Eden, in perfect relationship with Him. But when they both sin, the relationship is severed. Our relationship with the eternal God is fractured when sin and evil enters the world God had made through Adam and Eve. The relationship with mankind is damaged because God is pure goodness, and we cannot be in direct contact with Him when we are not totally pure. In God, there is pureness, goodness, and holiness in absolute terms. For the two to coexist, that is our fallen nature and God, the problem of sin and evil needed a remedy.
I remember starting my college experience, alone for the first time. And I really did feel alone. I had been raised in the church, and I truly loved God, but I found it difficult to stay connected to God. Thank God that I am not dependent on my own strength. It was only until God called me to Himself again, and said “daughter, come back to me” in undeniable ways that I began to embrace His love again. I remember going to church for the first time at school, and the pastor preached about the prodigal son.
“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:18-20 ESV
As I thought more about this idea I realized God, who is represented by the father in this parable, is always in search of us, because even though we sinned, and did wrong, God wants us reconciled to Him even when we do not. In the parable, the father was not only waiting in hope for the son to return, but ran toward him, showing the compassion he had for his son. He was always ready with open arms. It is the evil that took us away that continues to keep us from Him.
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Romans 8:7
So God reached out. The truth is, God has been calling us to Him since the beginning, even when we failed. In the garden, He was in search of Adam and Eve, calling out to them:
And 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. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ Genesis 3:8-9
God, being all knowing, was aware of their betrayal. And it was certainly betrayal. He had given them everything they could have desired, including a free will to follow and love Him voluntarily, and they rejected that for momentary pleasure. Regardless, God went out in search of them, calling Adam and Eve back to Him.
And the rest of the story, God’s story, follows this way; God, in his endless love, decided to keep calling humankind throughout history. The entire Bible tells of that story. Isaiah is called by God and sent.
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I (Isaiah) said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8
Over and over again He proved His boundless love to His precious creation, calling them back to Himself and sending His prophets. Isaiah prophesied of a coming Messiah, one who would take away our sin and our guilt, and bring us back to Him. Who is this Messiah? He is Jesus, God in the flesh. God’s ultimate call to us was when he laid down His life for us on a cross, on a hill, for all to see. In this way he “drew all people to himself,” (John 12:32).
And He did. The moment that Jesus died the veil in the Jewish temple was ripped in half. This holds more meaning when you realize two things. One, this veil was more like a large curtain, about 60 feet long and 4 inches thick. It was certainly no accident. And more importantly, this veil was the separation between where the Jewish people could worship in the temple, and where the glory of God resided. The miraculous splitting of this veil meant there didn't have to be a separation anymore. God called His people back, to freely be with Him.
And three days later Jesus appears again in a garden, alive again. This time, his disciple Mary is sitting crying, supposing she has lost Him.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” John 20:15-16
God is still calling. He is most certainly calling you. The Word of God promises this, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
If you only turned and listened he would say,
I have called you by name, you are mine. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:1,5-7
Your value is so much greater than what you have done, how people perceive you, how you have been treated, and how you have been hurt. Because your worth is defined solely by the fact that your creator who instilled his very image in you and loves you, with a love that is impossible to describe with words. His love goes beyond whatever keeps us from Him. He reaches across. The promise of the gospel is that we who have rejected God have the opportunity to be reconciled to Him in spite of the seemingly impossible barriers. Beyond the brokenness there is a God that calls out beyond the tangled vines and thorns and says…
“Daughter, come back to me.”