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Your Garden of Eden

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BECOME A BETTER

HUSBAND, DAD, AND LEADER.

Genesis 3: 23-24 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the Garden of Eden, he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Aftermath

My family and I went through Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 (which seems like a lifetime ago). We were at my brother-in-law’s house in Baton Rouge listening to the radio talk about the levy breaking and floodwater was 10 ft into houses; we stood there in silence. In shock as our home could be literally washed away. I still remember those very sobering moments as we reflected on what we had just heard.

This moment got me thinking about Adam and Eve, just this side of Eden. The only home they had ever known was now closed off to them. On top of that, they did something to get thrown out of Eden. I used the word “Thrown,” but the Bible used “Drove.”

Genesis 3: 23-24 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the Garden of Eden, he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

As you can see, it was a little more than a hint….”Get out and stay out!”

If we are honest with ourselves, we’ve all had our Garden of Eden moment when we fell victim to temptation.

The Bible moves on to Adam and Eve having children, but I could only imagine the conversations that took place just this side of Eden.

  • The Blame Game – why did you eat the fruit? It’s your fault we are out here.
  • Now what?
  • What do we do now?
  • Should we wait to see if He changes Him mind?
  • Where do we go?
  • Where will we live?
  • What do we eat?

I don’t know about you, but I would have made camp just down the road from Eden just in case God changed His mind and let us back in.

The team

After everything settled, it was just Adam and Eve. There is a lesson to learn here: God gave us a helpmate, and we both need each other.

While there may never be another Eden moment, there will be times when one will do something that needs the other’s forgiveness, encouragement, support.

1 Peter 4:8-10

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

After all, it was just Adam and Eve, and God had created a situation that both of them now needed each other more than ever. They would have to work and carve out a life that was suddenly very different from what they knew.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Truth & Grace

  • While we can read and pass judgment on Adam and Eve in the Garden, we have the good news of the Gospel to wash away our sins.
  • Grace: John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

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4 Comments

  1. William

    Thank you TJ for sharing this and for your commitment to helping us be Uncommen husbands. This year my wife and I will be celebrating 20 years of marriage and I have learned through so many challenging and rewarding moments how dependent we are on the Lord and each other to navigate life this side of heaven.

    Reply
    • Tj Todd

      William, thank you for sharing your situation with us. Congrats on turning 20 years! That is indeed Uncommen!

      Reply
  2. Bradley A.

    I’m just now engaged at 40 and I can’t wait to be fully serving the Lord alongside my wife. God’s already showing me just how much I need her in this life.

    Reply
    • Tj Todd

      Bradley,

      Congrats on being engaged. The few things more powerful than a Godly couple who are both focused on God. Stay Uncommen!

      Reply

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