Why does Perfection choose to work through imperfection?
…the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live. Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and… placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. …Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone…” So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names.
(Genesis 2:7-19)
Was the all-powerful God unable to name the animals himself? Of course not! He chose not to. God’s work at its heart – and from the very beginning – is participatory: he wants to include us in what he does. He chooses to accomplish his will through us. But why? Whenever people get involved, let’s face it, it’s messy. Always. Always. Messy. To give a few examples (as if our own lives weren’t sufficient proof!), Jesus’ followers got nothing straight and did nothing right during his entire life on earth. And his ancestry line?
This is the list of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who was a descendant of Abraham. From Abraham to King David, the following ancestors are listed: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers; then Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar) …David, Solomon (his mother was the woman who had been Uriah’s wife)…
(Matthew 1:1-11)
For reference, Perez and Zerah were the result of Jacob, a grandson of the patriarch Abraham, having sex with his daughter-in-law Tamar believing that she was a prostitute (who was disguised as such at the time). King David who penned the Psalms committed adultery with a friend’s wife who became pregnant then had the friend killed to hide his crime. All in the line of the Messiah! Scandalous! These are the things you cover-up! Gloss over! Hide! Nope. 😊
Messy. Your child hands you a drawing and you place it where everyone can see it. Why? Is it good? No, it’s great. Why? Because it came from your child.
That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. But the Lord God called out to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.”
(Genesis 3:8-10)
Was the all-knowing God unaware of where Adam was? Of course not! He wanted Adam to respond when he called out to him – just like he wants us to respond to him when he calls out to us. Even when we are naked. Especially when we are naked.