2 To Be Eve

It was a lovely day, one of the very first since God shouted for light, so I hadn’t many to compare. The sunshine felt warm and inviting on my skin after a long cool night. I looked up and closed my eyes. The heat went from my face into the core of me. With my eyes shut it seemed that light was spreading throughout my body! My man and I had spent all morning gathering berries that grew on bushes near our shelter. They were oh so sweet and delicious! Today we will venture a little farther from home where there are nuts! Mmmmm, nuts! I have a huge round nut that Father-God told me has a pure white chewy center and milky juice, but we can’t open it! We will keep trying.

Adam said that before I was made God told him that he could eat every plant that has seeds and every tree that has fruit with seeds. That is our meat. Oh, the variety of colors and flavors are amazing! Some food is bitter, which I am learning to like, but most of it is quite tasty! We love to eat! I love God too. He comes to visit us every day. Even when I can’t see Him I sense His presence. He is my Father. He is also my Mother.

My man told me that Father instructed him after he was made not eat the fruit from one of the trees, only one, because it was poisonous. I wonder if that is true; maybe Adam misunderstood. Sometimes when I am very hungry and the trees are bare because we have eaten their fruit and I cannot wait for more to grow, I look at that poisonous tree with all of its lush fruit and I want to taste it, just try it. Maybe I will someday. I don’t know what death means anyway, so what harm can it do? Maybe Father is kidding; I know He will always love me, no matter what I do.

Black. I have matured and experienced much since I wrote those words. My man and I still love to eat, but the Father never comes to visit since He sent us away from the garden. Food is harder to come by here. My man must plant the seeds and we wait and wait. Sometimes the ground is so dry that nothing ever happens. I cry a lot.

Once upon a time, many moons ago it rained nonstop for a very long time. Everyone perished in the flood except for a kind man who had met our Father and could hear Him speak. He let me enter the boat Father told him to build that protected his family from the flood. Eventually the water disappeared enough so that we could leave the boat, but for a while it was impossible to plant or to find food. Then the Father told the kind man a very strange thing.

He told him that he could eat moving things that live! Not just the fruit and plants as He told me! Imagine that! Actually killing and eating animals- beings, creatures just like us! But just as He gave my man, Adam, one restriction, He told the kind man not to eat animals with their blood. 

Now the animals are afraid of the men. It is so sad. We had such fun playing together. The world has become so violent. It took me a very long time to get the nerve to eat an animal, but I finally became hungry enough to do that. It was horrible. I cried like a baby.

Yellow. I have some good news today! Our Father created a man, almost as He created my man, but not quite. He called this man His Son which made Adam feel sorry all over again. The new Son came through a woman. I feel a little proud about that. This Son told me that He came to take us back to live with the Father again. What good news! How wonderful it will be when Father visits us again. How I have missed seeing Him.

I want to be ready. I will stop eating animals right now so my body will not be filled with the murder of them, so I can be as I was in the beginning when we were all together and happy before the days of death. I will only eat the fruits and nuts and plants and be oh so grateful and oh so obedient and trusting this time. Thank you Father for letting us come back to live with You. I love you more. 

7 Wake Up Praying

 On this journey to Eden Eve and I are not riding in a car, boat or plane, yet there is no doubt that we are moving. Everything around us looks and feels different. We travelers appear more determined than ever to find Eden. Some of us seem so serene; bright faces are beginning to radiate light, while others look tormented. These are the ones who are being challenged. The thorns and thistles planted by demons on the Lenten path are tearing at their flesh. God help them.

 “Eve, tell me what you liked most about living in Eden.”

She replied, “I miss my conversations with God. We spoke so freely. Out here the knowledge of good and evil is so loud and noisy I can hardly hear myself think, lest converse with God. I often don’t even know when He has come to visit me in exile.” Looking up Eve exclaimed, “There’s the bridge I was looking for; let’s go!”

I didn’t see a bridge but followed her anyway.

We arrived at a pile of words. Eve bent over and with her long slender fingers she lifted the corner of a letter as if it was a delicate petal. Like a ribbon whole sentences waved threw the air. “See! Here are the prayers of the saints, those who live in Eden.” Then she gently laid down the ribbon of words in a long thin line. “Walk on these words that form the bridge. It is very narrow and there are sharks on either side. This bridge will help the bleeding ones the most. As long as we walk on the prayers of the saints we will be safe.”

Stepping carefully onto the bridge of words that Eve made, I looked down and read: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. O Trinity uncreated and without beginning, O undivided Unity: accept me in repentance and save me a sinner. I am Thy creation, reject me not; but spare me and deliver me from the fire of condemnation, both now and forever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.

Those words brought tears to my eyes and for a moment I thought I could see a Garden. Then I heard Eve’s confirmation, “The words of those saints who have already arrived in Eden will transport us there, but we must say them with our whole heart. God spoke the world into being with words and with words we can awaken our sleeping and injured souls. I love words, the pictures they paint, the emotions they stir, the way they can illuminate the deepest caves.” Eve bowed her head and fell to her knees.

Looking up and around she said, “See the sharks are gone. I think we are out of danger and can step off the bridge. We can always hop back on if we need to.”

I looked around and among us and noticed that many of the wounded were healed.

“Now, that we are less afraid, let’s use our own words, ‘Oh God of life, God of the word, take my hand, I can’t reach you. O Father of light, miracle worker who never stops giving and loving, please show us the way to the Tree of Life that you planted for us in Eden. How hungry we travelers are for its fruit. How tragic is this deadly world of good and evil; will I ever be able to forget what you never wanted me to know?’

Whispering Eve added, “Now let’s be quiet and listen. Perhaps God will answer me.  Oh I hope we are almost there! God, can you hear me? I’m coming home!”

Sweet sweet Eve; I actually think she was beginning to wake up. I only hope she takes my hand!