Reflections for 3/16/11

"But then comes the end of the story where God with his own hands makes them garments of skins and clothes them. It is the most moving part of the story. They can't go back, but they can go forward clothed in a new way-clothed, that is , not in the sense of having their old defenses again behind which to hide who they are and what they have done bu in the sense of having a new understanding of who they are and a new strength to draw on for what lies before them to do now." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 70)

I can't imagine too many people that don't know the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden.  They know about the fruit, the talking snake and  getting kicked out.  Augustine created the whole theory of original sin based on this story and theologians since then have been wrestling with the notion of sin and suffering in the world ever since. 

In many ways Christians have especially gotten stuck on the punishment side of the story and have been literally and figuratively beating ourselves up over it.  We missed the part where God actually takes care of that first couple.  God didn't abandon them and say "you blew it, I want nothing to do with you."

I've often thought that perhaps God really needed that first step to be taken. If we had stayed in the Garden, we would have remained clueless and actually somewhat boring. 

In most of our lives there comes a cross roads of sorts where a choice is made.  That choice isn't always the right one.  We almost have a 50-50 shot of getting it wrong.  What I have found is that in right choices and wrong ones God seems to be right there recalculating the journey, equipping me with what I will need to continue walking with him, even if the course got altered somewhat.

In those bad choices, after we've said we're sorry to God, to those we may have hurt and ultimately to ourselves, are we ready to accept the new gifts that God will give us in restoring us back to right relation.

Blessings,
Ed