Remember Eden: Our Origins And Who We Are In God
Do we remember the garden?
There is an old saying which states, “they cannot see the forest for the trees,” meaning, you are so involved in the details that you don’t see the big picture. Likewise, most of us are so involved with the details of our lives that we never see the big picture of the world around us.
I live by the Grand Canyon. This natural wonder is renowned throughout the world. People hike, river raft, practice geology and look for fossils.
Yet, for all of it’s magnificence, it only is a testament to catastrophic destruction. It was not formed through millions of years of erosion, it was formed very quickly when an inland sea broke rushing down hill from northern Utah towards Arizona. The Great Salt lake is what remains and you can see the original level of the vanished sea on the mountains surrounding that city.
Likewise, we are living among the ruins of the human race. What we see as beauty is merely bits and pieces of who we once were. What we see as “genius” is just a glimpses of our past glory. We are drawn to these things because, somewhere deep inside, we remember.
Green Grass
Have you ever wondered why people universally desire green grass? Even in places where it absolutely makes no sense, like the desert or on top of a sky scraper, people desire a lawn. Why is this so? It is because our longing for the original Garden of Eden. We remember.
Beauty
We are all instinctively drawn to beauty. Super models, both men and women, command our attention unlike anything else. Why is this so? It is because we remember that mankind was once perfect and lovely. We instinctively remember that such beauty is our birthright.
Intellect
People with extraordinary intellect are lauded as geniuses (interesting that the word so closely resembles genesis.) In reality though, they are but embers of what Adam and Eve were. These brief flashes of brilliance, often flawed in other ways, are merely throwbacks to the native intellect mankind was endowed with by our Creator.
Vegetarianism
We were never intended to kill and eat. Rather, God intended us to consume plants and their seeds for sustenance. People recognize that killing and eating another creature is wrong and so choose to be vegetarian. This is a truth of Eden that people are naturally drawn to even though it requires disciple to successfully live that way.
Intentional communities
People were created to connect with each other and to live side by side in harmony and love. Due to sin that is hardly possible any longer but deep inside we still feel the urge to do so. It is so strong that people try to create that type of Utopian society in intentional communities. They try to connect through being close and having all things in common. Most eventually fail but those who continue on and prosper do so because they tap into our fundamental need to connect with one another.
Ecology
Adam was commanded to tend the garden of Eden. God’s son was set as steward over this earth. There is a deep sense of responsibility that still exists in our souls to care for that which our Father created. This is the driving force behind all environmentalism and is why it has such a universal appeal.
Astronomy
People are star gazers because God put the desire to explore in us. Mankind strives for the stars, for we know it is to be our home. Our Father purposed for His last creation to populate the universe so that people, as numerous as the stars of heaven, could love and adore Him. As inhospitable as space is we are drawn to is with undeniable fascination.
Science
People classify and name things just as Adam did in the garden. We want to know our Father’s creation. Our drive to seek out the wonders of this world is something that we were born with. Originally, one way we knew God is through understanding and marveling at what He made.
Music
We are musical creations. We sing and play instruments. Those who do it to near perfection draw vast crowds to listen to them. Music, for many, is close to heaven. Fortunes are made through what some term as “the voice of an angel.” We instinctive know that music is divine.
Perfection
Mankind remembers perfection. Instinctively, man yearns for the perfect like nothing else. People pay fortunes for works of art that everyone agrees are master pieces. We prize flawless diamonds and other gem stones for their exquisite perfection. People long for perfection, but are forever kept from it by our mortality. Tortured by paradise lost, we remember Eden.
Religion
Most movements coalesce around one of the shards of who we once were. People come together to celebrate core truths of what mankind once was. We agree to work together because they all innately agree on that one point. People remember God created them, this is why religion is so potent. Those who say that they have direct access to the divine draw those who seek to regain Eden.
In truth, we are all literally living in the shatter remnants of Eden. Man fell and fell hard. Cave men are not where we started but simply where we ended up. Originally made in the image and likeness of God, we lost our way through sin and ended up hiding in caves.
Luke says,
“Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”
Acts 3:21 (NIV)
God will restore all things. We are about to regain Eden in the form of a New Heavens and New Earth. The first thing you see when you arrive at New Jerusalem is the tree of life. Our bodies are glorified and we live forever, as God intended. There is no pain, sorrow, or even death for there is newness of life. The wolf lays with the lamb in complete harmony. We love each other as God commands through His Spirit in complete peace.
God says,
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:4