Often times, when I’m leading a group of women or trying to encourage a fellow sinner-sufferer, I find myself asking, “What am I doing or saying that is distracting from Jesus?” Mainly because I know the only worthy answer I will ever have is Jesus and the Good News. I also know that if people see me instead of Jesus, hope given will be short-lived.

This has led me to wonder how I distract MYSELF from Jesus and keep myself from relationship with Him. I recently finished a book about a woman who fasted from a million different things (not really a million, but a lot). I started thinking about the balance between enjoying God’s gifts to us on earth versus indulging in them to the point of gluttony and being distracted away from Jesus. Things like TV, coffee (trust me, it’s possible!), spending, community, food, sleep, being healthy, working, children or even learning.

And the Spirit gently nudges me to ask… where am I choosing apostasy (total desertion of the gospel) in certain areas because it’s more comfortable than being changed by Jesus? Where does my flesh dictate what I do instead of God’s Word?  Another way to ask it is, what are the objects of my greatest wants that I put before Jesus (aka: idolatry)? It could be disciplined children, a future husband or even a clean house. For many of us, this apostasy creeps up and sneaks in. It doesn’t announce its presence until it is embedded so deeply that we feel like it belongs. We get confused because the objects can be good things, but WHY we want them can be very wrong. We end up fighting for our gluttony because it put on a hat of fake holiness and a cloak of fake righteousness. Then we let it stay and call it “grace” or “freedom”.

Isaiah 57:14-15 says,

“…’Build up, build up, prepare the way, and remove every obstruction from my people’s way.’ For thus says the ONE who is high and lifted up…’I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit…”

And the truth rears its ugly head: I DONT WANT TO BE LOWLY (or contrite, for that matter)! I want to feel good. I want to feel comfortable. And I want it in my way, when I want it, how I want it. Now you’re thinking, “Whoa, she’s bad!” And you’re exactly right. It’s the exact opposite of Jesus and it will get me the exact opposite of what my soul longs for.

Lowly means inferior or plain, not having any feelings of superiority. It’s the opposite of what the world (and my flesh) tells us to be.  As I read the antonyms for lowly, I was struck by “brazen, presumptuous, pretentious, uppish, LORDLY” (emphasis mine) and mostly… “self-important”. If I’m not lowly, do those words describe me?

I think of the million times today I found my SELF to not only be more important than others, but also more important than a holy and perfect God.

Where in my life am I refusing to be lowly and finding comfort in the world instead of with Christ? Where am I choosing self-importance over God-importance? Where am I quenching my thirst in places other than Christ (but having to always stuff myself because I’m never satisfied there)?

Personally (it will look different for everyone, but have a similar stench), I put obstructions in the way of my relationship with Christ because He asks me to consider others as more significant than myself. He calls me to bear other’s burdens… and not just the ones I choose to help carry. In Galatians 6, God did not give a list of when to and when NOT to bear someone’s burdens.  He didn’t say only when you’ve had coffee and a good night’s rest. Can you imagine our perfect Lord saying, “Hey, only bear someone’s burdens when things are great for you… only when you don’t have other things you’d rather be doing… only when you like the person or they can give something back in return… only when it’s comfortable for you… only when you don’t have a deadline… only when it feels good and other people are watching you.”

By saying no to loving others, I am saying no to God (and a lot of other terrible, awful, no-good things)! And when I love others only because I feel like it (as opposed to doing it because I love HIM), I attempt to theft God’s glory for my own trophy case.

So here’s the rub: I distract myself from Jesus when I choose to gratify my own desires and stay comfortable in my selfish habits. It’s like the kid who gets full on juice instead of eating a full, healthy meal (or crackers in my daughter’s case). It never lasts, never satisfies and doesn’t meet your actual needs. But when I do bear other’s burdens, when I help restore others in gentleness, when I walk by the Spirit and choose patience, I get to experience an amazing God who reminds me that I am lowly and (desperately) in need of HIM only. I don’t get the glory, but I also don’t get the shame and guilt. Instead I get a worshipful heart because I see who He is! I experience Him without obstructions. I get true grace and freedom that affords me true Joy.

The most beautiful part of this whole thing is that Jesus is the ultimate burden-bearer. And regardless of my denial of Him, He still loves me and pursues me. So much so that He took my shame and guilt upon himself.  Jesus claimed it and said, “Her sin is mine. Punish me instead of her”. And in return, I get to experience a newness of life and the freedom to love others in the same way.

So I pose the same question to you: Where are you being distracted from a deeper relationship with Jesus?

Do you have a heart for the nations? Do you desire to see God’s name made great among all people? Do you want to serve our missionaries and looking for a practical way to do that?Then come gather with other women for Women’s Prayer for the Nations!

Who: All Women
What: Praying for the nations and our servants overseas
When: May 11th at 10am and May 14th at 7pm
June 11th at 7pm and June 15th at 10am

Where: Emmie Manor’s Apartment (contact at EmmieBeth13@gmail.com)
**There is no childcare but children are welcome to join us.

Photography by: Jenna Maddux Photography website:: www.jennamadduxphotography.com   Email:: jmadduxphotography@gmail.com

]]> http://women.sojournchurch.com/?feed=rss2&p=254 0 http://women.sojournchurch.com/?p=244 http://women.sojournchurch.com/?p=244#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:53:04 +0000 Katie Skeen http://women.sojournchurch.com/?p=244

Early in my Christian walk I tried to avoid women’s conferences and all things feminine.  If a Christian book had a flower, teacup, or lace on the front, I went running in the other direction.  Somewhere along my walk of sanctification, the Lord began to address the issue of biblical womanhood.  I discovered fear drove my avoidance.  I feared that to live out my unique identity as a woman I would have to wear denim jumpers, suddenly develop amazing crafting skills, and speak in a quiet soft-spoken tone.  I was afraid, because I am none of those things.  However, I discovered biblical femininity is much richer than external stereotypes; it’s a tremendous gift from the Lord that comes with responsibility and influence.  Now by the grace of God I look forward to each opportunity to learn more fully what it means to be a woman created in the image of God.  This is why I want to go to Let Me Be a Woman, Sojourn’s Women’s Retreat, April 27-28.  Here are a few reasons you should join me:

Biblical Womanhood is a Gift– So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)  It is a gift that women are created in the image of God.  The verse differentiates that both men and women were created in the image of God.  As female image bearers, we display unique aspects of God’s character that otherwise would not be shown.  The Women’s Conference provides an opportunity to learn and apply biblical truths concerning your unique feminine identity.   

Connect with the Lord- You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11) There is something about getting away for a weekend of focused attention on the Lord that stimulates your relationship with God.  I have found doing this on a regular basis is a great boost to my normal routine of spiritual disciplines. I am trusting the Lord will reveal Himself to me and address areas in my life where I need to grow.

Connect with Other Women- I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. (Psalm 55:14)  The Women’s Conference is an occasion to connect with other Sojourn women.  Being relatively new to Sojourn, I feel intimidated at the thought of not knowing many other women at the conference.  However, I want to meet new friends and further build my current relationships.  We need other women for friendship, which is vital to our Christian growth.

These are just a few reasons to attend the women’s conference.  I hope you will be able to join me.

In the 80’s and 90’s we used bulletin board. The cyber-savvy 21^st century brought us Pinterest. Pinterest is the social media version of a virtual bulletin board. If you see something online that you like, want to try, or remember, you simply “pin it” on to your personally organized Pinterest boards.  Now anything from recipes to DIY projects to fashion is constantly available and ready for public access. It really is a brilliant idea. One could organize their entire life-goals and happy findings all on one site.

There is a common type of board though that has caught my eye on a few occasions. It is usually titled with words such as: “Someday” or “One Day” or “Future”. Of course the curious person in me had to look. On these boards were pins of all things wedding, engagement rings, family portraits, baby announcements, nursery décor and more. But none of the people who had created these boards were engaged. To my knowledge, most of them are not even in a relationship nor are they expecting a baby.

Now, before I go further – I do not think there is anything wrong with using Pinterest to help you organize your wedding plans or plan for a party or for a new baby. I use Pinterest myself and have lost many hours to it. But where are our hearts when we’re googly-eyed, lost in desire, pinning away?

We live in such an idol driven culture and all idols are destructive. Every one of us is living for something. That something has captured our thoughts, our daydreams, our imaginations, and our hope. We have become ruled by our idols. It starts with a thought then goes to a daydream. That daydream then starts to consume your mind and now you are holding on so closely to that daydream that it’s all you ever think about.  When we do this, we live for, and in, disillusionment. A woman who spends countless hours on the Internet ‘pinning’ her daydreams to a board is no different than a man who looks at porn. Both of these individuals are fantasizing about something they don’t have and desiring that one thing in the moment more than the Lord.

In a review of the movie He’s Just Not That Into You, Manohla Dargis  tells the New York Times  that Hollywood gives us movies, “where female desires now largely seems reserved for shoes, wedding bells, and babies”  Hollywood does this because that’s what brings in the money at the box offices, and that’s what our culture wants. Praise the Lord that he doesn’t give us over to the desires of our hearts, (Romans 1:24) but instead, He has delivered us from them.

To the single woman who has her whole wedding planned via Pinterest: You have established a false hope in a wedding day. If you aren’t careful, (Lord willing) when you get married, you are going to crush your future husband as you push your idol of the perfect wedding/engagement all on him. And you will be greatly disappointed when he doesn’t get you the 3-carat cushion cut diamond from Tiffany’s.

To the married woman who has every detail picked out down to the paint chip for the nursery: How will you respond if you aren’t able to have children?  Or what if you have children and they aren’t driven like you or nothing like how you imagined them to be? You are no different than the single woman mentioned above.

I am just as guilty of this idolatry except mine is built up in fashion and travel. I can dream and plan to get those Frye boots, but once I get them am I any more satisfied? No! My identity isn’t in how I dress, where I travel, or what cool thing I can craft. It is in Christ. We, as women, need to change our focus to be on Christ. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)

I talk to people all the time who are struggling with contentment– it comes out in different ways… some depression, some jealousy, some bitterness, some striving, some fear, some just plain ole’ anger.  I’m also very close to someone whose contentment is always called into question, myself. In fact, if you say that you don’t struggle with contentment some of the time, you’re probably not being honest with yourself — much less others. Satan has sneaky sources to help fuel this within us like social media and advertisements, then we have our own imaginations. We dream about that family we are going to have, the house we always thought we’d end up in, the job we wanted to have while adopting those pretty babies from {insert country of choice} and when that doesn’t happen, there are seeds of dangerous sin finding root within us. I.AM.GUILTY.

While it looks different for each person, the common denominator is that we all think we know exactly the best plan for our lives. We have an arrogant assumption that we should get exactly what we want… when we want it. I might also add that we have no consideration (or just a fleeting one) about what God’s Word has to say about our trials and sufferings. We want to wallow in our self-pity because we think it feels better than turning towards the cross. We don’t want things to be hard; we want an easy life, with an easy way and an easy answer.

I immediately think about Jesus being in the garden before heading to execution, knowing He was about to face a painful death for this very sin. There wasn’t anything easy about it for Him; that, I am sure of.

What is, therefore, my source of joy?

If the things in my life that I find happiness in (my job, family, certain food, friends, marriage, car, beauty, success, health etc. etc. etc) went missing, would I be joyless? Don’t get me wrong, God often blesses us with these particular things and we, by His grace, sometimes give Him glory for those blessings. I’m also not saying desiring these things are bad, or that having joy in the midst of suffering caused by the lack of one of these things is easy or a light task. But I am saying, when you aren’t given one of these desires that you crave, does it cause you to be joyless and not look to the One of Hope? Is your life built around the hope that God will give you a husband or a baby or a job or a certain salary or a ministry or a …..?

How then, do we respond to good things in life when Christ alone should be our only source of joy?  Is it then that these good things should make us unhappy?

By no means, the living God, the source of all things good IS the One who choses to give us these things.

If then, He chooses for me to NOT have them, I can make a logical, loving and right conclusion that the absence of them is for my good as well.

The absence of them does not mean we aren’t good enough, or we haven’t earned the right. It means the One who IS good enough and who HAS earned the right for us has a different, better plan for our lives. The absence of these “good” things is for my joy because its what causes the most glory to God. Therefore, if He alone is my source of joy and contentment because He sacrificed Himself in my place, then I’m thankful in the midst of my circumstances.

I’m content in that the cross of Christ can never be removed. And now, on earth, I get the pleasure and satisfaction of being made more like Him.

Does this mean we don’t mourn, grieve and cry out to Him when terrible things happen and when struggles come our way? Absolutely not. But it does mean that we mourn with Hope! It means we grieve with the new heart given freely to us at salvation. It scares me to write that it also means our particular, personal pain and suffering God allows for each of us.. is worth it. It’s worth it only because are being made into something eternally favorable, eternally good and eternally lasting.

So then, we don’t just hope for circumstantial change, but we regard a deeper relationship with the Perfect One, an understanding of God, His character, His Word and His gospel story as more beautiful.

I’m writing this in response to my own life… when I think about my husband making huge career changes that calls into question my trust in God (and our bank account), when I consider the woman I encouraged this week to stay in a desperately hard and miserable marriage, when my dear friend gets angry when someone other than herself gets pregnant, when I see someone longing for companionship with another sinner to satisfy her desires, when I see friends endure the death of their child and know I can’t imagine the pain, and on the same day think about the kind of car that would make my life easier, the house porch I saw on pinterest or the food I choose to find comfort in.

Deep suffering. Ugly sin.

What I am saying here has major consideration and consequences tied to it. And I am not saying it lightly. It’s a huge statement and has a really hard meaning. I don’t think striving to have God as my only source of contentment is an easy thing- which is why I would never say it tritely to someone in their suffering, but I will encourage them towards it. The most loving thing I can do for a fellow sinner- sufferer is help cultivate their hope in Christ. Not quoting Scripture like a pretty bandaid, but giving hope from God’s Word because He is who He says He is. It is the only place that those struggling for a life different than what they have (me and you) will find peace that passes all understanding and comfort that soothes even the darkest pain.

I’ve noticed over the past year that we practice four methods of what we call evangelism.
1. Invite your lost friends to church.
2. Invite them to community group.
3. Invite them to come hangout with your “Christian Friends”.
4. Give them a Christian book or pamphlet.

But that isn’t evangelism. That is inviting and bringing, not evangelizing. Have we become so lazy that we just invite our friends to where we are and then sit and wait for our pastor’s to tell our seeking friends the truth? In her book Out of the Salt Shaker & Into the World, Rebecca Manley Pippert says, “The heart of evangelism is sharing the story of Christ the good news of how God took upon himself the sin and shame of the human race so that all who believe in him might be saved.”

That’s it. That is evangelism. So why aren’t we willing to tell our friends, family, or co-worker this?

The key to evangelism is spending time with God –reading and studying your bible, praying, etc. Evangelism is an over-flow of your heart and it begins with your relationship with God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). If we aren’t daily renewed by the word we will stay as we are and continue being an inviter. The gospel is the most liberating news to ever grace this planet and we aren’t willing to tell others about it.

Some of you are different. You find your joy and security in what you do for God rather than who you are to God. Like the inviter you don’t share with others out of the overflow of your heart, but instead you are doing it to earn a right standing with the Lord. The Lord is powerful and can use both of these people for his glory and draw people to himself. We need to remember that we are commanded to share the gospel and it’s a delight to be able to tell others (Matthew 28:18-20). But before we dig into gospel conversations and tell others the good news we need to remember a few things.

First we need to see people as Jesus sees them. We fail to see others this way because we are blind to the needs around us. Instead, we treat people around us as interruptions to our lives. Your neighbor, co-workers, even the smelly person next to you on the plane, is there by divine appointment.

In order to see people as Jesus we need to know how Jesus saw them. A desire for the lost only comes from knowing and understanding who God is and how much we need Him.

At a previous job I worked with someone who was really hard to love. I didn’t love that person well because I’d forget that they needed a savior and that they were blind to truth. Instead of seeing her as an annoyance, the Lord began to break me of this to view her as she was, a person created in His image just like me. I still didn’t love her perfectly and she still annoyed me, but my compassion increased and I often had to go to her and seek forgiveness for how I had responded or didn’t respond to her. I did a terrible job of communicating and displaying the gospel because I didn’t see her as Jesus did.

Evangelism is work. We have to take risks and dig beneath the surface of peoples’ lives. It’s messy and can be draining, but in light of eternity that momentary mess or exhaustion is well worth it compared to what we deserve.

If you’re like me, you feel a constant push and pull from what is, what may be and what you need to get done in between.  There’s laundry, baby needs another feeding, meeting at 1, client at 3, must make dinner, pick up the kids at ____, make a meal for this dear friend who did it for you so you want to return the favor, spend time with Jesus, call that friend you’ve been thinking about for 3 weeks, keep up with your husband’s family (and yours), buy that shower gift, attend community group, meet with so-and-so, get these papers graded, return 30 emails that require response, love my husband, look into that PhD program, do dishes, remind yourself not to compare your dirty hair with the girl’s blog you just read, “why did i just waste time reading that?!”, wait for the repair man, “oh yeah i need to work out!”, think through what the Lord is calling us to in this neighborhood, pray about moving, pray about not moving, pray about where to maybe move, someone’s knocking at the door (answer it), pray the Lord won’t have us move, pray that I wouldn’t worry about if we have to move… and the baby needs another feeding.

I would really love to think this is not how most people live.  In fact, if you don’t, I’m so thankful.  If you do, you’re not alone.  And either way… good grief, there is immense grace. Recently when talking to a young wife from our church, I was asking her about how she spent her time.  She replied that all she really had to do was “love her husband and take care of their baby.”  There wasn’t this sigh of “how do I even begin to answer that question”. Now I know she has her share of trials and they will be moving to do a church plant soon. But there was such a freedom and release in the way she answered.  After thinking about it and talking to my husband, I realized, it was just probably not going to ever be that way for me (and that’s a whole other conversation).  Before you start judging me, know that my husband and I take great care discerning and praying about what I should and shouldn’t be involved in.  It WILL look different for each woman!

I look at my list of to-do’s and I’m immediately reminded of how grateful I am to have 95% of them on my list. There is immense privilege that comes with most of them.

However, in the midst of all this limbo…

Am I really loving God? Why is this constant chaos within my heart keeping me from trusting God and in His promises? Am I desiring something more than Christ by creating this list of to-do’s?

Romans 4:5 says, “And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”

Great. No work, just have to have trust God. But trusting God seems like such hard work!

I’m clearly missing something here.

Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

And here is where it gets tricky for me… I think like this:

If I’m not supposed to work, but only trust God (which is something good), but nothing good dwells in my flesh, then I’m pretty much gonna fail at this whole thing.

I spend an enormous amount of time telling other people what Jesus has already done for them. I make sure women that I love know Christ has already died in their place.  They have an inheritance that is shared with the Son of God and a Father who cares more for them than they can comprehend. In fact, He loves them so much that His plan for them is perfect. That doesn’t mean a care-free life, but it does mean that in the midst of sin and suffering, Jesus IS our hope!  He secured it by dying on a cross. He IS our foundation. He helps us endure the most horrible tragedies and the things we could never believe we would live through.

Just call me a hypocrite. How often, in the midst of my limbo, do I forget to go there for myself? How often do I miss the love of a God so perfect that He gave a perfect sacrifice so that in my limbo I can be set free?

Romans 8:6 says, “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

To set my mind on the flesh looks like worry, dread, anxiousness and sin (over my to-do’s). But to set my mind on the Spirit looks like reminding myself of that perfect love already given and already received. Nothing good dwells in my flesh, but hope, trust and faith dwell in the Spirit that dwells in me! And I’m quickly reminded that there is nothing I can do that will separate me from the love of Christ.

HE IS our perfect hope and foundation, regardless of my quality of faith. In fact, any amount of faith at all is from Him. And anything He gives is perfect! In this, I can rest. There is no struggle too great, no schedule too busy, no fear to strong, no grievance too ugly.  He loves me. He protects me. And HE gives me the faith needed to trust in Him who justifies the ungodly.

A year and a half ago I participated in the first Redemption Group at Sojourn.  Redemption Groups exist to help us experience gospel community while seeing how our story fits into God’s redemptive plan.  It is an intentional time where the depths of our sin are met with Christ’s love through the cross. For this particular Redemption group, Mars Hill was kind of enough to lend us some of their leaders and we had the privilege of what proved to be a heart-opening weekend.  I like to refer to it as “sanctification on crack,” but I’m fully aware that is inappropriate and probably something theologically wrong with the statement. But I’m gonna say it anyway…

As a biblical counselor, I think through sin and suffering on a daily basis.  However, the Lord allowed this weekend to be a precious game changer for me.  I had a small idea it would be that way, which is exactly why I didn’t really want to participate. Praise God, He is faithful- not because I had to have RG (He could have used a number of things to get my attention), but because He is gracious to reveal our deep-rooted, ugly sin to His children.

During Redemption Groups, we encourage the participants to write a Psalm in regards to what the Lord is teaching them.  Today I am sharing my Psalm that I wrote with you many RG’s ago.  I pray it will be an encouragement to you.  Whether you are failing, falling or thriving- He is always faithful.

The Self-Sufficient Palace: A Psalm

by Rebekah Hannah

There is a place called the self-sufficient palace where dry bones lead the way along a fake river of life.  The water is a mirage, and bellows out for us to drink up of fraudulent righteousness.  “Come here!” it says, “It’s easier here!  Here you can be appreciated for who YOU are and what YOU can do, because when you drink of me YOU are my favorite.”

The self-sufficient palace woos in its prey and promises eventual hope and glory.  The fake river of life calls out again, “Learn this, drink here, act this way, use what I’ve taught you. You can have all of me you want.”  The keeper of the guard at self-sufficient palace reminds you not to look up or other’s may cause you shame.  “This is what you can trust, this is where you can have what you want.”

This is the world of the self-sufficient palace with a fake river of life and a fog of anesthesia that puffs up heads and makes them blind.

The offense of the cross has been removed.

But God…

But God rescues the mouse that pretends to be a lion.

But God awakens the souls of the dead.

But God takes scared flesh and turns it into a living hope.

But God never tells us that we have to be enough and kindly never lets us be.

But God loves the adulterous whore.

But God replaces the menstrual rag trophies with His own robes of righteousness.

But God crushes the heart of stone against the founding cornerstone.

But God takes the self-deceit and makes it selfless de-feat.

But Jesus, my Jesus, He never leaves me to myself.

And so… the Magnificent Lion loved, pursued and died for the arrogant mouse.

During a recent snake-in-my-garage episode, (whose harmless species in no way diminished its creepiness factor) I found myself moving from petrified to ponderous – although not as quickly as I moved from inches to yards in proximity!—at how very different this legless lizard must be from its pre-cursed counterpart.  As I watched the reptile slither in and out of the paint cans on my shelf,  I couldn’t help wondering what Eve saw in him that would make her want to talk to him, let alone believe him! (OK, theological pondering wasn’t the first thing I did…first, I sent a text with pleas for help to my husband – in New Jersey.  Then I pondered. Then I solicited a neighbor’s help in snake slaying.  Yes.  One animal was harmed in the writing of this blog.)

A LOT must have changed since Eve chose the serpent’s deceptive persuasion over God’s promises.

Animals were different to be sure: Lions lay down with lambs, mosquitoes were vegetarians and snakes were not yet so decidedly and disturbingly creepy.

But more notably still, women were different.  Eve was completely content with the size and contents of her God-designed wardrobe (think about it!), her relationship with her male counterpart was open, vulnerable and perfectly complementary and her days were full of fearless encounters.

Not so today.  Our bodies are the often at the center of frustration, depression, humiliation, shame, pride and immorality.  Our relationships with the opposite sex are frequently conflicted, immature, misunderstood or just plain weird.  And we face our days with fears, anxiety and uncertainty.

It’s easy for me to look longingly at pre-Fall times and think if only… If only Eve hadn’t talked to the serpent and been so easily deceived by him, and if only Adam had stepped in and obeyed God, THEN life now would be perfect:  No conflicts, no worries, no discontented mirror-gazing ever!  There’s probably a certain amount of validity to my if…then.  God did plan and create a perfect world for human harmony and unblemished glorification of Himself and we decidedly and definitively blew it.  But His plan was in no way thwarted or changed by our foolish rebellion.  It was carried out in a more beautiful way.

Jesus was always, in the beginning, before the creation of the world and the sinful cursing of it, God’s perfect and most beautiful plan.  His sacrifice of Himself on the cross to pay the payment for our sin is the richest and deepest expression of love and grace we could ever encounter or experience.  It wouldn’t be better for us today to be innocent rather than forgiven.  Our hearts are immeasurably enlarged by having experienced the greatness of Jesus’ selflessness.  Our minds are expanded from blissful ignorance to a limitless appreciation for the extent of His love and our lives are forever changed by the greatness of a God who would willingly die for the possibility of fellowship with sinful us.

So despite its “paradisical” perfection, we don’t need to go back to the garden.  We live on the privileged side of the cross.  What God did for us through Jesus vastly enhances our understanding of God and compels us to see all of life more richly than Eve ever could.

As fallen, yet redeemed women, our bodies are imperfect, but our focus is not on our body image, but on reflecting the grace-full image of a God we know better than Eve did.  We are perfectly loved. We have been died for.  We are temples of our living God.  Let that compel us to get over our obsession with the bathroom mirror and become the mirror that reflects these truths to the world.

As forgiven women, our post- cross knowledge of God enables us to engage in relationships with men on a whole new level – one which reflects the harmonious image of a Trinitarian God, hardly imaginable to Eve.  So it’s not about us and our feelings and our romantic ideals.  It’s about letting each and every interaction with the opposite sex accurately demonstrate the healthy, unselfish, mature accord of the Trinity.

And as we gaze at the cross, although our days are filled with the scary, the hard and the hurtful, all our encounters with serpents and the Serpent can be fearless and free – informed by a knowledge of God and His gospel which Eve barely glimpsed.  The garden may have been perfect, but we’re better off now, snakes and all.