Hidden: A Devotional for Teen GirlsSample

Day 2 – What Are You Hiding?

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. - Genesis 3:8 ESV

Yesterday, I shared how I had turned into a very self-righteous and proud person. I thought that pleasing God meant behaving well so I could keep God's approval of me and so other people would think well of me, too. Needless to say, perfection by my own efforts didn't last very long. Between teenage peer pressure and new attention from a cute boy (why is it always a boy?), the good behavior went right out the window quickly. Unfortunately, I went on pretending that I was the well-behaved, good girl that I thought God and other people wanted me to be. So, I hid what I thought was bad.

Say this out loud - "I'm safe with God. I don't have to hide."

Before Genesis 3, Adam and Eve lived with God as their source for identity, truth, and life. They were fully open with God and each other. There was nothing hidden between them. As the story continues, Adam and Eve disconnected from God as their source and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When God showed up looking to spend time with them, they did what many of us still do today - they hid.

Sometimes being hidden is actually protection. Think about it: not everything about you needs to be on display for the whole world. God often keeps certain dreams, desires, or even parts of your story covered until the right time. But here’s the other side: some things stay hidden that shouldn’t - like shame, hurt, or even the truth of who you are in Him. Those are things God wants to bring into the light so you can heal and grow.

Journal Questions

- What is something you're hiding from others or attempting to hide from God? There is safety in God's presence. Also, God loves you too much to let you stay where you are - broken, empty, and even wounded.

- In the beginning, there was nothing hidden between God, Adam, and Eve. Other than God, who else do you need to tell about this? *This is called confession. It can be scary and embarrassing, but no matter how another human responds remember - "I'm safe with God. I don't have to hide."