I sometimes walk to the post office, but as they say, timing is everything. One day I waited too late and found myself swimming upstream against a sea of high school students heading to lunch. As I dodged oncoming foot traffic, I was surprised to be greeted by “Hi, how ya doin’?” Evidently this isn’t a question demanding an answer because by the time I responded with “Fine. How are you?” they were half a block away and I was talking to the wind. And just when I was beginning to get a handle on “Yo, wassup?”Another phrase I’ve been hearing lately is “my bad.” I asked around and evidently it means that whatever just happened was something the person did and it wasn’t good. And that, as my generation would say, is a no brainer. What it doesn’t necessarily mean, however, is I’m sorry and please forgive me. When pressed about being sorry, most responded with a hesitant “sure, I guess so,” but on the issue of forgiveness there were mostly blank looks. It seems that “my bad” is a catchy little phrase used mostly for very minor offenses. I wonder, though, if it’s getting too easy to admit guilt but not sorrow for our actions or to ask forgiveness when we need to.
It’s interesting that in the story of the original “my bad,” I’m not sure there was even a “my” attached to it. What happened in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3) is a familiar story. The rules are explained, the first couple is given opportunity to make choices and then everything falls apart. Adam blames Eve because she gave him the fruit, then goes on to blame God for making Eve in the first place and Eve turns around and blames the serpent, Satan in his most beguiling disguise. They both know something has changed, but neither is willing to stand up and take responsibility for what they did. Yes it was bad, but evidently not “my” bad.
Clothing from leaves had to be impractical and I’m assuming quite scratchy, but imagine Adam and Eve’s shock when God provided the only acceptable alternative, coverings made from the skin of an animal. No designer outfit of feathers or wool either. An animal had to die and a sacrifice of blood was required. Adam and Eve must have watched in horror –the first killing, the first death. An “Oops, my bad” wasn’t enough. What most people don’t realize is that even God was hurt by what happened. The intimate fellowship He had with the ones He created for that very purpose was gone.
A God who is holy and just holds us responsible for what we do against Him, yet this same God is also merciful and provided a way for someone else to pay the price for our disobedience. I’ve inherited all that is wrong from my first parents, Adam and Eve. Everything I do is my bad and the Bible calls it sin. Romans 5:12 explains that “through one man sin entered into the world, and death (eternal separation from God) through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” But agreeing that what I do against God is sin isn’t enough. 1 John 1:9 lays it out for us. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I need to tell God I’m sorry and ask for His forgiveness. Yes, it is “my bad,” but He is willing to forgive. And fellowship will be restored.
