Category: Life & Lessons

Naked and Unashamed (The Genesis Archives Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Let There Be Light”, click here. For Part 2, “Recycling and the Image of God”, click here.

“Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25).

Naked is not only a provocative word today, but it’s also a rare word. We live in a cover-up culture. Women cover up their faces with foundation, concealer, blush, and mascara. Men cover up their true personalities with brash jokes and crude humor. We all cover up our true selves with carefully crafted photos on Instagram and clips on TikTok. Why is one of the few universal truths of life the need to play make believe?

Naked Before Man

The Bible’s answer is sin. As soon as Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, “Their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (Genesis 3:7). Shame only exists when we have something to hide. And from that day on, we’ve been trying to hide from God and from each other.

Yet God hasn’t taken away our desire for intimacy. In many books I’ve read, men have poured out their hearts to their lovers. They know they must expose the skeletons in their closets to the eyes of their special someone. We want to know that our sweetheart can love our unloveliness because instinctively we all know that love can only thrive in exposure, with unclothed hearts and bodies, with the very real threat of rejection overcome by acceptance.

Naked Before God

We know this is true with those we love here on earth, but we act as if it’s not true with God. The author of the book of Hebrews said, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked before His eyes” (Hebrews 4:13). God possesses true x-ray vision. He sees every part of us, from our physical form to our invisible spirit. Yet I’m moved by His response to Adam and Eve after the Fall. Genesis 3 says that God went for His daily walk in the garden of Eden. Not seeing His friends, He asks them, “Where are you?” In reply, Adam says, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” But God said, “Who told you that you were naked” (Genesis 3:10-11)?

God is not playing dumb in this conversation. He is making a crucial point here. He’s saying, “I didn’t say you were naked, so who told you that you were?” He already knew of Adam and Eve’s nakedness when they exposed themselves to sin. But His first response was not condemnation but connection. When Adam and Eve hid from God, He drew near. When they eschewed contact, He initiated conversation because God still loves us, broken messes that we are, even when we mess up.

Conclusion

But there is still the matter of sin. Adam and Eve instinctively knew they had to hide from God after they sinned because sin must be paid for. But what recourse did Adam and Eve have to repay God?

This question will be answered in “The Genesis Archives Pt. 4.”

“As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.'”

(Romans 10:11)

Recycling and the Image of God (The Genesis Archives Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Let There Be Light”, click here.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Genesis 1:26).

I never used to recycle. I saw it as a nuisance at best and a hassle at worst. I had more important tasks to complete than tediously separating out the cardboard boxes from the steady stream of trash I generate. But one day, I felt divinely convicted about my disregard for recycling. Yes, divinely convicted. Let me explain.

God’s Rule

It shouldn’t be very shocking that the God who created the world cares about it too. In the book of Job, God rhetorically asks, “‘Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up…Who provides the raven’s food when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food’” (Job 38:26-27, 41)?

God is the ultimate gardener and zookeeper of the vivarium we call earth. He is in charge of the ecosystems we know and love on our planet. But He has graciously ceded a tremendous deal of control to us humans. He made us in His image, and one key aspect of that image is God’s dominion—His rule and reign.

Our Rule

When we hear the term “rule”, our minds often go to bad examples of rulership we’ve witnessed in our lives—bad parents, professors, or presidents. Or we may think of dictatorships like the Galactic Empire of Star Wars or the Third Reich. But the Hebrew word radah, much like its English counterpart “reign”, is a morally neutral term. It simply refers to power and authority one possesses over others. And this power and authority can be used to profit one’s subordinates or profiteer off of them.

As the rulers of earth, we’ve done a tremendous deal of profiteering. We’ve increased the rate of species extinction by a factor of dozens or even hundreds. We’ve decimated a third of the earth’s forests. And we’ve polluted nearly half of the rivers and lakes here in the United States. That barrage of facts only scratches the surface of the potentially irreparable damage we’ve done to our planet.

Conclusion

There are many who’ll read this article and roll their eyes, dismissing it as liberal, left-wing propaganda. But that’s exactly the problem, good stewardship of the world we’ve been given is everyone’s problem. It’s not a political topic but a heart issue. And this is why I began to recycle. I need to care as much about this planet as God does. And caring begins with the little things like conserving water, not wasting food, and even tossing my empty Coke can into the right trashcan.

“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
(Psalm 24:1)

Let There Be Light (The Genesis Archives Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

In the beginning, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light (Genesis 1:3).”

I often forget how easy things are for God. I work hard each day at my desk job. I work hard each night at my writing. I work hard at being a good employee, a good brother, and a good friend. Paraphrasing my father, who was telling me about the stressful early years of his career: “I claimed that my success all depended on God. But I worked as if my success all depended on me.”

Labor In Vain

Fittingly, the first sermon I heard this year was on Psalm 127. Its first couple of verses say, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.” Success is not a product of our faithfulness but God’s. God doesn’t “help those who help themselves.” Rather, He saves those who know they can’t save themselves.

Jars of Clay

In the New Testament, Paul writes, “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). There’s a reason we have to sleep for eight hours a day and take a day off each week and some weeks off each year. Our tiredness is not a bug in our programming but an important feature of our being.

If we truly believe that God has the power to speak light into existence, we should know that He can singlehandedly speak light into our careers, our marriages, and our children’s lives. We’re called to cast our burdens on Him (1 Peter 5:7) and take His yoke upon ourselves (Matthew 11:29) because our burdens are heavy, but His yoke is light (Matthew 11:30).

Conclusion

I think that I’ll always work hard.  The seeds of that spirit are rooted in my immigrant roots and my upbringing. They echo through the pages of the Bible from wrestling Jacob to struggling Paul. And I hope that everyone who’s spent their days lounging through life can embrace a bit of that can-do spirit. But I think that the best lesson for me to learn in 2022 is not how to work harder but how to rest more.

“‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’”

(Matthew 11:28-30)

A Tale of Two Years

By Ife. J. Ibitayo

I’ve been replaying the highlights of 2021 in my head a lot. Like a CD on repeat, I first think:

2021 was a terrible year. It started with horrific loneliness. For months I didn’t see any of my friends or family members. I would often call up my mom because “I just needed to talk.” Then followed the most stressful months of work I’ve ever had on the job. I shouldered a workload that would have been reserved for a whole team if I were working at a larger company. Then spring gave way to a summer of crushing rejection. I was rejected romantically and disappointed professionally. Then my year wrapped up with someone in my family being diagnosed with cancer and an SUV nearly running me over.

Another Year

But then I hit the pause button and flip over to the B-side of my memories, and I start the recording over again:

2021 was a tremendous year! It was a year of firsts: my first publication, my first date, and my first raise. From when I got vaccinated in last April, the world popped with technicolor and neon light. I was finally able to return to church, eating out, and hanging out. It was a year of healing. The high blood pressure I was diagnosed with in late 2020 vanished by early 2021 for no apparent reason. The anxiety and stress I’ve struggled with for the past several years dissipated as the LORD filled me with His peace. A family member of mine recovered miraculously from an invasive surgery. And God protected me from a speeding SUV that decided it liked the sidewalk better than the highway!

Which version of 2021 is reality? Was it a terrible year with glimpses of the tremendous or a tremendous year with flashes of the terrible?

Conclusion

CNN’s 2021 “Year in Pictures” captures a glimpse of the global lows and highs of these past twelve months. 2021 was the year of Delta and Omicron, capitol rioting, and the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, but it was also the year of record high vaccinations, the completion of the 2020 Summer Olympics, and the conviction of Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers. It was a year of tears for everyone, both of sorrow and of joy.

When I look back on 2021, I don’t think I’ll ever recollect it fondly. Yet I know it was profoundly important. I’ve seen myself from new vantage points that I didn’t have the perspective for last year. These trials have exercised my soul in ways my pleasant childhood never could have. And I’ve seen a similar pattern among my friends and family members as well.

New leaders have stepped up in church and the community. A complacent generation has been roused to its feet by being forced to its knees. And an unrelenting virus has breathed new life into spiritual realities by taking our breath away.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

(Romans 8:28-29)

The Power of An Unexpected Gift (New Angles on the Nativity Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I once lost my ID. I’d been hustling my way through the airport, trying to catch a flight, when I flashed my ID to a TSA agent. Somewhere in the bustle of unpacking my luggage at security and boarding my flight, my ID vanished. But I didn’t even know this had occurred until I received a mysterious letter in the mail.

I opened the thin envelope and found my ID card wrapped in a note. The stranger told me about how they’d found my identification and decided to mail it to me. They also shared the love of Jesus Christ. I was already a Christian at the time, but the gratitude that flooded my heart was close to a conversion experience.

The Most Unexpected Gift

I remembered this story as I was shopping for Christmas presents for my family. I realized that the best presents we receive are often things we never knew we needed, but once we receive them, we don’t know how we lived without them. The greatest example of that is the love of Jesus Christ.

Many of us walk through life with holes in our souls. Because of our relationship—or lack thereof—with our parents, we feel unloved and unwanted. Or discrimination we’ve faced on the job has blasted gaping holes in our self-worth. Or our sweetheart bitterly broke our heart this holiday season. We’ve tried to fill this hole with just the right present—fresh kicks, a new car, or a bigger house—or presence—a new lover, a new boss, or a new friend. But the hole within us hasn’t just remained, it’s grown larger until the whole of us is empty. But then Jesus crawls down the chimneys of our hearts lugging an unexpected present: a cross.

He left His home so that He could bring us home. He gave up His family so that He could make us family. And He sacrificed His life so that we could truly live. He gave the only gift that could truly fill our void: Himself.

Conclusion

Which brings me to my second story. This year, I knew a small group who wrapped Christmas presents for college students on campus. They spent over a month filling the boxes with goodies and writing personalized letters as they prepared for the day when they would hand deliver them to the students who would receive them. But at the last minute, they were notified that someone else would be giving those presents to the students. These young men never got the chance to see the impact their unexpected gifts would make in the lives of others.

But the power of an unexpected gift always carries wings. It will last for years in the memories of those blessed by it. It will spread from person to person, family to family, and even nation to nation as countless others share its story. And it will live on in our hearts just like the love of that precious baby boy who was born in a manger 2000 years ago.

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”

(2 Corinthians 9:15)

Mary’s Magnificat Faith (New Angles on the Nativity Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

In the space of less than six months, an incredible set of coincidences occurred. The same angel declared two separate miraculous births to two righteous people who lived less than two hundred miles from each other. These two people were the elderly Zechariah and his teenage cousin Mary.

The awesome glory of the angel terrified Zechariah as the being said, “‘Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John’” (Luke 1:13). Skeptically, Zechariah asked, “‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years’” (Luke 1:18).

The angel replied, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time’” (Luke 1:19-20).

Conversely, in this same chapter, the angel Gabriel told the virgin, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus’” (Luke 1:30-31).

She replied, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38). And soon after she burst into song, singing her famous Magnificat (Luke 1:46-56).

Silencing Doubt

What separated Zechariah from Mary? Was it their age, their gender? Are old men more cynical than young women? Was it the fact that the promise Zechariah received was an answer to his personal plea while Mary’s was an answer to their nation’s prayers?

I pondered these questions as I poured over this chapter. I sympathize with Zechariah’s plight. After a lifetime of waiting, trusting, and hoping, probably long after he’d given up on his dream of being called “Daddy”, he was told his wish would finally be granted. But he’d have to wait nine months to find out whether the angel’s words would prove true.

Faith is hard. I’ve had faith for many things that fell through, from college applications to romantic relationships to job opportunities. A band I used to listen to has an album called, “How Do You Fix What’s Not Easily Broken?” And I ask myself that question daily as I try to salvage the shards of broken promises. How many more times had Zechariah had to ask that question at the end of his long life on this bitter earth?

But our lack of faith does not stop God’s faithfulness! God did not retract His promise to Zechariah in spite of his faithlessness. Instead, He silenced him.

Vocal Faith

Turning to Mary, we can see her childlike faith. When an angel told her that she’d be the first virgin to give birth to a child, she believed that Almighty God was well able to do what He’d promised. Therefore she believed in her heart and declared with her mouth, “God took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me’” (Luke 1:48-49).

Conclusion

Tellingly, when Zechariah’s tongue was loosed nine months later, the first words out of his mouth were praises to God as well. “‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them’” (Luke 1:68). When God makes a promise to us, He will keep it. So we can either praise Him now in faith. Or we can let our doubts silence us until He proves Himself faithful.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

(Hebrews 11:6)

Joseph’s Shame and Glory (New Angles on the Nativity Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

The most underappreciated character in the nativity story may very well be Joseph. This man scraped by for decades to earn enough money to afford the bridal price of a very special woman. He’d walked so uprightly all his days that the Bible declared him to be dikaios, meaning “righteous in the eyes of God” (Matthew 1:19).  And the time had finally arrived for him to become a husband and a father. Then, he found out that the love of his life must have made love with another man.

While he was still grieving his loss, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and said, “‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’” (Matthew 1:20-21). Joseph responded to this charge in two tremendous ways: obedience and patience.

Faith-Filled Obedience

Matthew 1:24 says, “When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary has his wife.” For many believers reading the Bible today, his response seems perfectly natural. We think, “If I had seen an angel, I would have married Mary too.” But imagine trying to explain the situation to your buddies. “I married a pregnant woman because God told me that He’d impregnated her.” If they didn’t lock you up in an insane asylum, you’d instantly become the laughingstock of your entire village! Yet Joseph still believed what God had told Him.

Reading the Hall of Faith this past week, I was astounded by the strangeness of the activities men and women completed in the name of faith. A man left all he ever knew to go to a place he didn’t know to give an inheritance he’d never see to a son he didn’t yet have (Hebrews 11:8-9)! Another man built a boat to ride waves higher than the mountains and waited for a storm that didn’t come for over half a century (Hebrews 11:7). And now Joseph was being told to believe that his betrothed was bearing the literal son of God. In faith, Joseph accepted current disgrace so that he could embrace future glory.

Painful Patience

Secondly, Matthew 1:25 says, “Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until her son was born.” Most of us can’t wait to have sex until after we’re married. Imagine not being able to have it until almost a full year after that! But one of the most important lessons of the kingdom is that patience precedes promotion.

Joseph’s patience ensured that no one could call Jesus’ divinity into question on account of him. And more than that, it allowed him to become the adopted father of God Himself. The harder the season of waiting, the greater the glory of receiving. That is why apostle Paul says, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Conclusion

When we talk about Christmas, we often remember the person of Jesus. Then we celebrate Mary. But we neglect Joseph. This righteous man sacrificed all and waited long to father the Messiah of the world. If that isn’t a glorious example to emulate, I don’t know what is!

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

(Romans 8:18)

The Most Dangerous Weapon in the World

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Highs and lows have filled my holiday season. I relaxed with my parents while we watched a blockbuster movie. Then I rushed to the toilet as my dinner found a new home. I played video games with my little brother on my laptop. Then I cursed that same machine for suddenly bricking out on me. Turbulence was my only constant during this past Thanksgiving holiday.

And the same is true for our nation. Within the space of one short week, we celebrated justice as three guilty men were condemned and decried injustice as one guilty man walked free. Or was it three innocent men who were condemned and one innocent man exonerated as many assert? Have I gone too far? Should I just stop talking politics and stick to the Bible?

Dangerous Speech

Speaking of the Bible, John the Baptist was murdered for denouncing injustice. He was incarcerated and eventually beheaded because he called out King Herod for marrying his brother’s former wife. I sat in church one Sunday and heard a message that heaped the blame onto John the Baptist for “veering out of his lane.” His calling was to be Jesus’ forerunner, to prepare the way for the Messiah. But once he’d finished his job, he ran out of topics to cover. So he started speaking on things he had no business talking about. And that was why he was killed (Mark 6:17-18). But since when did the living Word become divorced from the lives we live?

Dangerous Silence

Some say that the Bible is silent on many issues that stir the hearts of Americans today. And they argue, “Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” But that logic doesn’t hold water. Consider if a mother commands her son not to punch his brother. Then the child starts slapping his sister. When his mother sits in him timeout, does it really make sense for her son to argue, “But you never send anything about punching my sister?”

The same principle applies to the Bible. Some say that the Bible says nothing about abortion. Yet the Bible says, “‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image’” (Genesis 9:6). Just because this verse does not explicitly refer to “man” as “helpless baby” doesn’t mean that the Bible says nothing about abortion. Likewise, even though the Bible does not explicitly say “you shall not target other people on the basis of their class, gender, or ethnicity,” it does say, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself. For love does no wrong to one’s neighbor” (Romans 13:9-10).

Conclusion

When Christianity is constrained to Sunday services and church buildings, it becomes dangerously close to a prescription drug we take on a weekly basis. ” But it was crafted to be a “sword that pierces our very souls” (Hebrews 4:12). If we let the Bible dictate the way we view all aspects of our lives–from the way we treat our families, to the way we work our jobs, and even, dare I say, the way we view politics–then it becomes the most dangerous weapon in the world.

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

(James 1:22)

The Day the LORD Has Made

By Ife J. Ibitayo

“This is the day the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). This verse is so oft-repeated, especially during the Thanksgiving season, that it’s been drained of some of its gripping power. Some might breathe a sigh of relief as this month gives way to the next, as if to say, “Now that November has passed, I can stop being thankful.” But November was never intended to be our single month of thanksgiving each year. Rather, it stands as a reminder of what we should be doing each and every day.

James Madison once said, “No people ought to feel greater obligations to celebrate the goodness of the Great Disposer of Events and of the Destiny of Nations than the people of the United States…He protected and cherished them under all the difficulties and trials to which they were exposed in their early days.” And not only in the early days, but now as well. We’ve braved the pandemic, protests, and politics of these past couple years, and we’re still here. We’re still breathing, when so many millions are not.

As we sliced the turkey and shoveled food onto our plates earlier this week, I had a new appreciation for the simple things. Food and family, camaraderie and champagne, laughter and love all make life worth living.

 This coming week, we return to work, school, and stress. Life will flood back in. But let’s not let it drown out our many reasons for gratitude. For this is still the day the LORD has made!

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

(Philippians 4:4)

Happy Heart, Happy Life

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I read a proverb last week that said, “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:15). And I paused to soak in this truth.

Five years ago, I would have said that 60% of happiness is caused by circumstances, 30% genetics, and 10% or less by choice. And many people would agree with this sentiment. “I’m unhappy because I have an anal boss, a horrible wife, and terrible kids.” “I’m unhappy because I’m not married yet and I don’t have a six-figure salary yet and I haven’t retired yet.” We believe our emotions are tethered to our wind-blown circumstances.

But science has shown that only 10% of our happiness is tied to our circumstances. Of the remaining 90%, 50% is related to our genes, and the remaining 40% is up to our conscious choices.

There are many articles out there that list ways to feel happier. A quick Google search will reveal titles like “25 Ways to Feel Happier in the Next Five Minutes” and “4 Proven Ways You Can Feel Happier.” But we often don’t spend enough time diagnosing why we’re feeling sad in the first place.

A Complaining Heart

A major culprit is complaining. Complaining is more than the words we say or the thoughts we harbor. Grumbling is an attitude of the spirit that silently paints the way we view the world. When I allow my mind to focus on the negative aspects of my life, I will minimize the positive. Most of us can allow one single thing going wrong in our lives to negate all the things that are going well. We may have amazing work-life balance but not be making as much as our wealthy neighbors. We might have two children who are successful but one who is struggling to find their way. God’s grace is so emphatic that most things tend to be going well at most times, but we struggle to thank Him because not everything is going well all the time.

A Jealous Heart

The second major culprit is comparison. One of the most gripping stories in the New Testament takes place after Jesus’ resurrection. As He’s walking by the Sea of Galilee with His disciples, Jesus told Peter he would suffer a horrible death. Peter immediately pointed at another disciple and asked, “What about him?”

Jesus replied, “What does that have to do with you? You follow me” (John 21:18-22)!

God has a chosen lot for each of us: Poverty or riches, sickness or health, tragedy or glory. Forest Gump really was right to say, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’ll get.” But God fashioned us specially for the box we received. Even though we think that trading our box for another’s will make us happier, we don’t know if it will make us better. And, just maybe, forcing down a couple bittersweet squares is the only way our palate can be prepared to savor a Maltese truffle.

Conclusion

The title for this article was inspired by the popular saying: “Happy wife, happy life.” As the saying implies, good life circumstances can buoy our emotions. Getting married, winning the lottery, or having a baby can all temporarily increase our happiness. But if your heart holds onto sadness, your quality of life will plummet back down to earth eventually. However, if your heart stores up joy, come rain or sunshine, you really can have a happy life.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)