I think most everyone can relate to the ‘hand caught in the cookie jar’ feeling. The petrifying feeling of being caught doing something you know you’re not supposed to do and knowing there is nothing you can do about it. This has to be a similar feeling to what Adam and Eve felt in the garden, they acted in rebellion and hid. They were scared of what their disobedience would amount to.
Looking at this, I realized how much fear controls each and every one of us all in day to day life. Fear of being inadequate, out of place, and being a sinner. Fear of the judgment that comes with living. This fear can begin to grow into areas that it has no right to be, like with our Heavenly father. We should learn to see our conviction through the eyes of Jesus.
Jesus came to earth to change what judgment is for all of us. No matter what our sin, we are set free through the cross. Now judgment can transform into something beneficial for us. Instead of being terrified of what our Heavenly Father thinks of us, we can recognize how we’ve been reconciled. The conviction we feel can direct us towards our salvation, it no longer has the power to bind us to fear. Through the diminishing of fear, we now can also have an intimate relationship with the Father.
When I’m caught in the destruction of my sin, I see a hand. That hand leads me out of that chaos and into perfect and never-ending love. I can now turn to a Father that doesn’t see the mess but sees His child. In a similar way, I need to see the forgiveness of the Father instead of just focusing on my inadequacy. We are made right with God all because of the work that Jesus did. We can now crave conviction, for it redirects our vision to the cross. And the cross draws us so much closer to God.