And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:15).

God is Love. Love exists in relationship, and God is all about relationship. God is, therefore, all about reconciliation when there is relationship break-down.

The archetype of relationship break-down is found in the Genesis Garden story.

Adam and Eve's relationship with God was central to Garden life. Their relationship was why life was abundant there. Take that relationship away and nothing would be the same. A famine of relationship would mean for them what it meant for the Corinthians and what it means for us: stunted lives, desperately made choices, weakness, and, sadly, death.

That Garden relationship broke down because of Adam and Eve's sin. Interwoven with sin—a   result of sin and a promoter of sin—is shame. We see evidence of shame in their subsequent actions. The root of the word shame is “to cover, to hide.” Shame sent them to the fig tree for cover-up leaves and to the undergrowth to hide. Shame put fear of being found-out in their hearts and required them to defend themselves at all costs.

The costs were high. No longer were Adam and Eve carefree children with their Abba. Now, because of their shame-drenched sin, each of them focused only on themselves: their sin, their guilt, their self-defense, their cover-up.

We can identify, can't we? The “you should be ashamed of yourself” message is likewise at the heart of our feelings of superiority and inferiority, our comparisons, our self-centeredness. Cover-up is a 24/7/365 job. When this whole deal is operating outside of a realized relationship with God trouble is always brewing.

But remember—God is Love. When Jesus absorbed our sin into Himself and died with it shame was left without a leg to stand on. Now, without shame-drenched sin's interference, nothing is left to interfere with our relationship with Him. (Take a deep breath of relief here.)

Now we made-carefree-again children emerge from our grave of self-absorption and run into our Abba's arms. Right there is what reconciliation is! We're back in the Garden. We're back in the arms of the God who never stopped loving us. Living in that renewed relationship with Him replaces that old shame-drenched sinful living-for-ourselves stuff.

...that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them... (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Revel in your Back in the Garden relationship with God today. Take a walk, listen to a song, hug a loved one, smile at a stranger, have a talk with Jesus.