THE GARDENS ---- EDEN

"Garden of Eden," Thomas Cole, 1828, Public Domain

The Eternal God, Yahwey, who we believe is eternally pre-existent, began His relationship with man by creating a garden in which to fellowship with the man and offer man a peaceful and serene existence. The Garden of Eden is the object of many legends and other unprovable stories, and is even mentioned in the Qu'ran as the Garden. The Mormon Church believes the Garden existed in what is now Jackson County (Independence), Missouri. Hmnnn, that's a strange one! (Kelly, you may be closer to paradise than you know!)

Anyway, I'm not writing a history lesson today, nor concerned with fable...the fact is "Eden" in the Hebrew simply translates, "delight." It was also called paradise, and was known as the delightful place that God placed His first human creation. The beautiful garden containing the tree of life was where God intended for the first humanity, Adam and Eve, to live in peaceful and contented innocence, effortlessly reaping the fruits of the earth! Figuratively, the Garden of Eden, is any state or place of complete peace and happiness!!

As we know temptation and rationalization led to sin, and thus to separation from the Garden. There was a void or separation between God and man. The work of grace was to restore man to relationship that had been lost. Nothing man could do would bring back the Garden. It must be an act of the Creator, God. That was accomplished on a craggy hill outside of Jerusalem over 2000 years ago! The cry of Christ, "It is Finished," did it all!! Was the Garden recreated that day in its original form? Yes it was, but this time it was to be in the hearts and spirits of those who received His work, not in a geographical spot. Remember Christ's words to the thief beside Him, "This day you will be with me in Paradise"? Paradise has often been used interchangeably with Eden!! Now I realize that was a spiritual place beyond this life, yet (and now I get heretical) Matthew tells us (27:52-53) "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Now into some Wardology that is giving me giant goose bumps...just what if that thief was one of those seen walking in the city??? Would not that have been a sight; those in the city seeing this guy walking, healthy, very much alive, and hearing them say, "We killed that guy 3 days ago, how could he be here??" After all, remember he was the very first fruit of the completion of salvation, the first redeemed under the new dispensation of grace!!! I know I can't prove it, but no one can prove I'm wrong either!!! One way or the other the guy made it into the Garden of God that day!! He is ever the great example to us that it is, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us..." (Titus 3:5)

The Garden was and is ever about relationships. There are maybe more, but I see at least 3: Relationship of God to man, Relationship of man to man, and relationship of man to the rest of creation. Salvation, or the act of greatest grace, addresses all of these in the spiritual realm. Since its meaning is, "delight," leading to peaceful, innocence, happiness, etc. all of these relationships should have that embodiment! By grace we are restored to relationship with God, which is moment by moment, not just a feeling on Sunday morning. I find myself humming or singing often as I rest in my garden, "and He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own." It is a relationship of love, and He is always there with me and for me! I am not chasing or seeking His presence, He is with me! Relationship with God in the gardens has nothing to do with rules, regulations, personal righteousness's...it is understanding His heart towards us!

Secondly, one can only be at peace with others as they are at peace with God. We are told to love one another, to care for one another, to extend ourselves to one another, and to fellowship with one another. God knew from the beginning that it was not good for man to dwell alone. He restored that relationship..in the garden there is love to go around. It is there that we truly understand the loving words from the beatitudes, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you..." Whew, that rids me of hatred, resentments, and all sort of negativism!! Love your spouse, love your family, love your co-workers, love your neighbors, love your enemies...the garden harbors no ill will!

And finally, in the garden there is a unity between man and all creation. The promise is in the world we can now only dream and speculate, "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together...They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." There is nothing more peaceful in the gardens than to enjoy all creation! Sunrises and sunsets become a spiritual experience. The playful squirrels and rabbits, a joy; the songs of the birds our hymns; the storms and the rains a revealing of the Creator's power, the grass, trees, flowers a confluence of the paintings of His finger! In the garden all things are beautiful in their own way!!

Often we make life more difficult than it has to be. There are sorrows, pain, struggles, and cares for sure...but even those reap joy when the golden sun rises in the east and we understand all things have their purpose! Those are things we, "go through," but the peace of the garden reveals their purpose and gives us the knowledge that, "All things work together for the good of those that love Him, and are called according to His purpose."

Wherever you are, join me today in the marvelous Garden of God's Grace!