My son is blogging. My thoughtful, thinking, grappling, unbelievably articulate son. At first it terrified me. These conversations we’ve been having in private. Now public. Because being public is a whole different animal, and hasn’t it been his mom. Here. Leading the way?
Let me be clear about something. Important. Recent posts about fear. Here. Me at church, hands open, soul surrender. “God, I trust you.” Beyond a shadow of a doubt, now, knowing. HE prepared me well, and well I know it. My heart’s answer to ALL of the questions.
God, I can trust you, because I know this story, and before anyone else could give an answer, the answer was. IT IS GOOD. Only good. The very story we told this week to college students, learning to be teachers. Me writing curriculum, my dearest friend the professor. And this story etched deep. Creation. The Bible’s poetry telling this breath-taking story about how He breathed. His Spirit hovering. Dancing. Speaking. Words of Beginning. Life in story. Three days He speaks the Upper Story. Three more days to utter the Lower Story. Creator God of only good. And all of it GOOD.
A man, Adam. Every Man. A woman, Eve, Mother of All. Creator breath, breathing His very image in them. Male and female, and they, who are ALL of us human creation—very good.
But then. A serpent. Craftiest of all, twisting lies, asking questions. “Did God really say?” No. He didn’t really, but the lines grow blurry and the answer, unclear. “We may… but we mustn’t…” That crafty liar muddles it all, and “Your eyes will be opened… You will be like God…”
Uggh. That bite every man took, and all of us mothers. Just so we could KNOW. Knowing good. Knowing evil. Knowing naked. Still.
The college students notice the BROKEN. See the crack. Know the promise. Enmity between serpent and woman, offspring. Head of that serpent crushed, but not before he strikes at heel. And what does it mean? Eve, mother of all, couldn’t possibly know.
This morning I wake, light-hearted. Unafraid. Open Bible, sacred book, to look. Avoiding lies, still present, “Did He really say…” Finding the story, He shows me, faithful.
Banished from a Garden, long walk away. Part one of the story. The Beautiful Crushing. This must mean something. Changes the story. Tree of Life. This sweet tree, we should have eaten. And can we? Now? This fruit, He offers.
The story began with VERY GOOD. And I’d clobber the liar who tells it different. Who doubts God’s goodness. Who says, now, all is evil. As though God changed his mind when the tree was eaten. Creating evil. Ridiculous notion. No. I hear Him saying still, “Very Good.”
I TRUST HIS GOODNESS.
And so I pray, trusting, and He shows me this, too, how we miss this glory, when we tell our story. Story, part two, leads us BACK to the garden. His very good garden. JESUS. Kneeling to pray. The serpent, always and forever the liar, he lies even to HIM. Oh, God, have mercy. Your will be done. Lord Jesus, your own surrender. Trusting the Father. Trusting HE’S GOOD.
We live. Here. Part two of this story. No longer banished. But welcomed. Home. To eat to our fill of all that’s good of this TREE OF LIFE.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5
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