Scripture gives us no indication as to how long the first husband / wife were cultivating the garden 'till the Fall, but nevertheless, enough time passed for them to suffer / know tremendous loss when the Fall did occur.
Scripture alludes to the lion and the lamb lying down together amidst the new heaven and Earth, therefore I can only assume this same pacifistic state existed within the Eden at the dawn of creation. Therefore, a lot of time was obviously spent enjoying the goodness / prosperity of this setting which in turn meant that Adam and Eve took full advantage of each other within that same vein.
-------------------------
I am an architect, and I've had the privilege of working with some amazingly talented people on some very noteworthy projects here in Mississippi.
One of the largest public buildings that I served as the lead designer on is literally just a few miles from where the Turner's reside in Rankin county. It was completed in 2002, and during the ribbon cutting ceremony (grand opening), I remember anticipating hearing the local mayor (within his speech) recognizing not only the contractors' efforts (who'd been quite capable) but the efforts of the architect (the firm that I worked for).
His speech began and there were such accolades for politics and politicians, past and present. And then there were more accolades for those same politicians. This went on in excess of 20 minutes. And then it was over.
I remember standing up from my metal folding chair out there on the front lawn of the building and literally feeling as if all the work I'd done had been meaningless in so many ways.
Even today, whilst looking back on that, I'm amazed that this prominent city mayor didn't take the time to publicly acknowledge either the designers nor the constructors of this beautiful municipal centerpiece of a building, and of course, I can't help but ask the question, why?
-------------------------
God instructed Adam and Eve to populate the Earth. We have to assume had the Fall not occurred that they would have had children within that unblemished setting just as they did after the Fall. Of course, the world these children would have been born into would have been the same Adam and Eve had only known there in Eden.
One of the most prominent differentiators between the pre / post-Fall state of mind / body for these first human beings was their nakedness. Adam and Eve both felt ashamed of their nakedness immediately following the Fall, therefore they became resourceful in order to clothe themselves with plant material. Eventually, as Scripture alludes, they were ran out of the garden, forbidden to ever return as punishment for their disobedience.
But before that ever occurred, Adam and Eve were the ideal husband / wife within the ideal setting. Their way of life within the garden had been set in motion by their creator. It involved no shame and certainly no sin, therefore I can only also assume (as I alluded to prior) that there was no need for nor hint of violence.
Why don't we as Christians focus on this ideal more? There's so much here to appreciate because it's what God had intended life on Earth to be.
-------------------------
I believe the primary purpose of attending college is to move from dumb ass to smart ass as a person. College should enlighten to the point that graduates know and understand the world around them with relevance and appreciation. And, I believe there's value to this knowledge. In the not too distant past, most collegiate types pursued the liberal arts. And these were precisely what I'm describing here. A wide gamut of relevant knowledge that enlightens and expand one's mind.
As any college grad should tell you (ideally), there is so much to learn about the world around us. And by doing so, you then see everything continuing forward within a new light.
Therefore, if you're not given the opportunity to receive this education, your view of the world will most certainly be confined within the boundaries of what you yourself have been able to obtain on your own accord (after high school). And from there, your ability to appreciate said world may certainly be constrained, constricted, etc.
Now obviously, not every collegiate experience is the same due to institutional and / or field of study choices, but in general terms, these are true statements.
Have you ever come across the phrase Renaissance Man? If not, it's worth researching. It's what I meant by smart ass (in jest).
-------------------------
As husbands / wives, we are constantly tempted to compare ourselves to others and in turn, do the same relative to our spouses. Our culture is built on this, and it does more to weaken marriages than anything else. Entertainment and the advertising revenue that our entertainment industry is built upon uses this societal crutch (weakness) as it's primary motivator to keep all of us attentive and novelized by our many screens.
Party to this, there is no sense within most marriages that one's spouse's body is owned by the other. We understand that paying off our mortgage makes the grass seem greener on the front lawn, but we fail to apply that to what we already own within our spouse.
Eve was created from Adam. God saw a need and fulfilled it via Eve's creation. And when Eve was presented to Adam, she was solely focused on what was now her property. Him. And this had to have put a smile on her lovely face.
And there was a physical toolset (no pun intended) that she understand as Adam. Eve knew herself, therefore when she saw Adam, she comprehended what was her own and how it perfectly complemented her own created self. To be blunt, she loved his wiener in relation to her vagina because it was her husband's wiener. And so forth, and so on regarding her understanding of Adam, from Adam's head to Adam's toes. All of it was her own property. Paid in full. Therefore, just like the paid off mortgage, she was the owner, and this gave her every right to do with his body whatever she saw fit to.
Therefore, the marriage brought with it no shame nor comparison because each spouse knew and understood the other as God had intended. And of course, sexuality was a sizable part of their existence as husband / wife. And it was completely uninhibited due to neither of them being ignorant to the truth of what God had given to each of them within each other.
And please know that I'm writing this from Eve's point of view because I believe women moreso than men are more susceptible to the shame / lies that spring forth from the constant pressure to compare / contrast herself and her husband within our culture. And this is a pointless, destructive exercise unless of course he's an adulterer, addict, or abuser.
-------------------------
Let's educate ourselves as husband / wives, looking to God's first married couple for enlightenment. If we don't have that thorough appreciation, we'll miss out on what we're to understand innately about our spouses within our marriage. This is why Bible study is so important as well as education (as it points us towards the importance of study) in general. Otherwise, we're going to waste an awful lot of not only our own time but our spouse's time due to our ignorance and confusion as to how God actually intended marriage to be. And in the end, all the more unhappier / unsatisfied for it.
If you're a Christian and married, you should make a point to study God's word, if for no other reason than to comprehend marriage and thusly protect it, enjoy it, appreciate it to its fullest. God designed it and called it good.
Don't be a dumbass and miss the opportunity to acknowledge God's good work through your own understanding. For that's what Satan wants.
No comments:
Post a Comment