The Holy One calls to me this morning. I hear Him say, "Eve, wake up!" It's always interesting as to how my Lord gets my attention first thing in the morning.
Maybe He is calling me to remember my earth birthday by taking me back to the day He created Eve.
The last year has been an amazing walk in His grace, having lost my earthly husband minutes after the day ended that was our 31st wedding anniversary, and 3 days after my 65th year on earth.
The alone-ness has been challenging yet strangely, "OK". I realize my relationship as the Lord's eternal Bride and this life journey, is much about seeing the temporal marriage as a symbol of the forever one and my earthly husband as a "stand-in" for my eternal One.
His greeting this morning was a surprise but also a clue for me to look back to "in the beginning" once again.
Lately He has been gently arranging for me to spend more time in His Presence, but not because of hard things I can't handle. While the year of adjusting to temporal widowhood and other deep trials of family life have pressed me into deeper fellowship, I notice I am more drawn than pushed. I find that I long for more of Him rather than less of loneliness. He fills my mind with good things and appreciation for the blessings He brings with each new day.
Even as Eve was created, in a sense, for companionship and relationship with Adam, her first relationship was with her Creator. Scripture tell us that Adam was put into a deep sleep, maybe even a "death" sleep when God took one of his ribs to fashion Eve. (Gen 2:21)
How much time Eve spent with God alone is not clearly identified in the Creation account. We are told that Adam spent alone time with God because the scriptures tell us "God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
God also gave, Adam, the command of his freedom to eat from any tree in the Garden except the one forbidden. And then even told him the reason why it was forbidden. God continued in His interaction with Adam by bringing all the animals He had created for the man to name them, which Adam did, and yet none was found to be a "suitable" helper for man.
But what we hear about Eve is simply that "Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man and He brought her to him".
Skipping over scripture can cause me to lose some of the precious details that are important to consider in understanding more of the mystery of our Creator God. The Holy One points out the small detail that He "brought" Eve to Adam. This affirms to me that Eve's first relational experience was with the One who created her.
If we move too quickly through the Creation story, we can put the Adam/Eve, one flesh marriage relationship as her beginning. Add to that the Divine structure of marriage and our role as women, I see that we can be deceived not just by the "serpent's" seduction but also by other voices that suggest we must go through husband or men to get to God.
We have been sold this lie and many have bought into a "legacy" that says, without a man we are deceivable and/or ignorant and/or you can fill in the blanks. The deepest Truth and reality is that God wants a Sacred Romance with His beloved of both genders.
So much of our issues in marriage have to do with all of us "Eves" fearing loss of identity in our role rather than flourishing in it. Remembering that God Himself is the "Role Giver" is important because we can return to Him personally at any time we have difficulty in relationship.
A word to all you Adams out there: In order your Eve to flourish, she needs to be encouraged in her sacred romance with her Creator, and it is up to you to facilitate it.
But I wonder, how much time did the Lord spend with created Eve? What of her upcoming role with Adam might the Creator have shared with her? While we can be blessed with our earthly husbands and appreciate our marriages for all they represent here on earth, we must not forget that we translate as an individual and our relationship with our Creator and Lord is deeply personal and as unique as each one of us happens to be.
Today the Lord wants to remind me that before I was a wife, I was His child. Relationship with my Lord becomes one long dialogue. He brings blessed relief along with His wisdom for life day by day.
While I began this blog several days ago, it covers a sequence of "anniversaries" that are compressed into this week. Each one must be traversed and processed. Looking back at the trial of having to let go of my temporal husband after 31 years of "together", I am reminded of the emotional choices that had to be made.
Choices such as:
The decision to surrender to the unfamiliar and trust my Lord who knows the end from the beginning.
The decision to look to the future instead of dwelling in the past.
The decision to believe that the Lord's purpose for my life didn't end when temporal widowhood began.
Each decision became the tonic of His Grace.
As I pass through this fleeting life on earth with it's ever fluctuating circumstances, I have been brought to the place of what I call the "eternal now". The Holy One wants to make it so clear, that when He calls me to wake up each morning, He wants my eyes and attention on Him alone, just like back in the beginning, before temporal life and death took it toll.
How thankful I am for the sweet and sacred romance that I share in the "eternal now" that means this very moment of peace can last forever.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Maybe He is calling me to remember my earth birthday by taking me back to the day He created Eve.
The last year has been an amazing walk in His grace, having lost my earthly husband minutes after the day ended that was our 31st wedding anniversary, and 3 days after my 65th year on earth.
The alone-ness has been challenging yet strangely, "OK". I realize my relationship as the Lord's eternal Bride and this life journey, is much about seeing the temporal marriage as a symbol of the forever one and my earthly husband as a "stand-in" for my eternal One.
His greeting this morning was a surprise but also a clue for me to look back to "in the beginning" once again.
Lately He has been gently arranging for me to spend more time in His Presence, but not because of hard things I can't handle. While the year of adjusting to temporal widowhood and other deep trials of family life have pressed me into deeper fellowship, I notice I am more drawn than pushed. I find that I long for more of Him rather than less of loneliness. He fills my mind with good things and appreciation for the blessings He brings with each new day.
Even as Eve was created, in a sense, for companionship and relationship with Adam, her first relationship was with her Creator. Scripture tell us that Adam was put into a deep sleep, maybe even a "death" sleep when God took one of his ribs to fashion Eve. (Gen 2:21)
How much time Eve spent with God alone is not clearly identified in the Creation account. We are told that Adam spent alone time with God because the scriptures tell us "God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
God also gave, Adam, the command of his freedom to eat from any tree in the Garden except the one forbidden. And then even told him the reason why it was forbidden. God continued in His interaction with Adam by bringing all the animals He had created for the man to name them, which Adam did, and yet none was found to be a "suitable" helper for man.
But what we hear about Eve is simply that "Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man and He brought her to him".
Skipping over scripture can cause me to lose some of the precious details that are important to consider in understanding more of the mystery of our Creator God. The Holy One points out the small detail that He "brought" Eve to Adam. This affirms to me that Eve's first relational experience was with the One who created her.
If we move too quickly through the Creation story, we can put the Adam/Eve, one flesh marriage relationship as her beginning. Add to that the Divine structure of marriage and our role as women, I see that we can be deceived not just by the "serpent's" seduction but also by other voices that suggest we must go through husband or men to get to God.
We have been sold this lie and many have bought into a "legacy" that says, without a man we are deceivable and/or ignorant and/or you can fill in the blanks. The deepest Truth and reality is that God wants a Sacred Romance with His beloved of both genders.
So much of our issues in marriage have to do with all of us "Eves" fearing loss of identity in our role rather than flourishing in it. Remembering that God Himself is the "Role Giver" is important because we can return to Him personally at any time we have difficulty in relationship.
A word to all you Adams out there: In order your Eve to flourish, she needs to be encouraged in her sacred romance with her Creator, and it is up to you to facilitate it.
But I wonder, how much time did the Lord spend with created Eve? What of her upcoming role with Adam might the Creator have shared with her? While we can be blessed with our earthly husbands and appreciate our marriages for all they represent here on earth, we must not forget that we translate as an individual and our relationship with our Creator and Lord is deeply personal and as unique as each one of us happens to be.
Today the Lord wants to remind me that before I was a wife, I was His child. Relationship with my Lord becomes one long dialogue. He brings blessed relief along with His wisdom for life day by day.
While I began this blog several days ago, it covers a sequence of "anniversaries" that are compressed into this week. Each one must be traversed and processed. Looking back at the trial of having to let go of my temporal husband after 31 years of "together", I am reminded of the emotional choices that had to be made.
Choices such as:
The decision to surrender to the unfamiliar and trust my Lord who knows the end from the beginning.
The decision to look to the future instead of dwelling in the past.
The decision to believe that the Lord's purpose for my life didn't end when temporal widowhood began.
Each decision became the tonic of His Grace.
As I pass through this fleeting life on earth with it's ever fluctuating circumstances, I have been brought to the place of what I call the "eternal now". The Holy One wants to make it so clear, that when He calls me to wake up each morning, He wants my eyes and attention on Him alone, just like back in the beginning, before temporal life and death took it toll.
How thankful I am for the sweet and sacred romance that I share in the "eternal now" that means this very moment of peace can last forever.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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