duminică, iulie 23, 2006
Adventures in Gardening Sunshine
Vast expanses of darkness, punctuated by moments of pure light. Is this the dark expanse of space, or the depths of the human soul? Is this a cosmic minefield of stars being born, or the deepest of memories?
Light and dark compete for supremacy in everything we see. Night falls at the end of each day, thinking it has finally won. Dark cannot exist with light, so it only exists when light retreats. It can only exist when light allows it too.
The darkness rejoices each night in its victory, at long last darkness may consume the world.
I often wonder what Adam thought during the very first night (Eve probably wasn’t around because Adam had to name all the animals before she was created). He must have wondered what was going on. The only thing he had ever known was light.
This leads me to wonder what it felt like the first time pain entered their worlds. I say “their” because Eve was around by then. The only thing they had ever known was light (light being beauty, truth, and intimacy with God and each other).
Something else I think about is how Adam and Eve must have felt about each other after they are driven from the garden. It mentions that they are distanced from God, but I believe that Sin also distanced them from each other. Until that time, their union would have been flawless and fulfilling. Then Sin entered the picture, and took perfect away.
I wonder if Eve ever threatened divorce. Probably not, because the concept hadn’t been invented yet, but the principle I believe is true. It must have been the loneliest feeling in the world. Not only were they cut off from God, but also from the only other person on the entire planet.
I bet you when darkness fell for the first time and Adam and Eve fell for the first time, Adam cried out to God, “Will this darkness ever go away?”
Just as the retreating light allows darkness to exist for a time in mock victory, God allows darkness to exist for a time.
At nighttime the darkness allows the world to rest. Plants have shelter from the Sun. Humans sleep, tucked away cozily in their beds. Animals retreat into their burrows and curl up.
When darkness falls upon us of a different sort, the opposite happens. Humans can’t sleep. Instead of resting in patience we demand God make it light again.
Both kinds of darkness only exist because they have a purpose and God allows them to exist.
The Sun rises every morning without fail, because the light has been in charge all along.
It must be frustrating to be darkness, to always think you’ve won and then be overtaken by light again, your sworn enemy. I say it must be frustrating because this encourages me, because I get so frustrated with the darkness.
The first time night fell over Eden, I imagine Adam got a pretty quick response from God to his question, because Adam and God were pretty tight. But when he asked the same question about being driven from the Garden and into the dark world of pain, I think it might have been harder for him to hear God’s answer.
Imagine being the first two people to Sin, ever. You think you feel guilty? He would have come to God, not able to make eye contact, but still hoping for an answer.
“When will this darkness go away?” God would have answered perhaps in a whisper, after Adam had waited a while, “The Darkness will go away, in My time.”
Light and dark compete for supremacy in everything we see. Night falls at the end of each day, thinking it has finally won. Dark cannot exist with light, so it only exists when light retreats. It can only exist when light allows it too.
The darkness rejoices each night in its victory, at long last darkness may consume the world.
I often wonder what Adam thought during the very first night (Eve probably wasn’t around because Adam had to name all the animals before she was created). He must have wondered what was going on. The only thing he had ever known was light.
This leads me to wonder what it felt like the first time pain entered their worlds. I say “their” because Eve was around by then. The only thing they had ever known was light (light being beauty, truth, and intimacy with God and each other).
Something else I think about is how Adam and Eve must have felt about each other after they are driven from the garden. It mentions that they are distanced from God, but I believe that Sin also distanced them from each other. Until that time, their union would have been flawless and fulfilling. Then Sin entered the picture, and took perfect away.
I wonder if Eve ever threatened divorce. Probably not, because the concept hadn’t been invented yet, but the principle I believe is true. It must have been the loneliest feeling in the world. Not only were they cut off from God, but also from the only other person on the entire planet.
I bet you when darkness fell for the first time and Adam and Eve fell for the first time, Adam cried out to God, “Will this darkness ever go away?”
Just as the retreating light allows darkness to exist for a time in mock victory, God allows darkness to exist for a time.
At nighttime the darkness allows the world to rest. Plants have shelter from the Sun. Humans sleep, tucked away cozily in their beds. Animals retreat into their burrows and curl up.
When darkness falls upon us of a different sort, the opposite happens. Humans can’t sleep. Instead of resting in patience we demand God make it light again.
Both kinds of darkness only exist because they have a purpose and God allows them to exist.
The Sun rises every morning without fail, because the light has been in charge all along.
It must be frustrating to be darkness, to always think you’ve won and then be overtaken by light again, your sworn enemy. I say it must be frustrating because this encourages me, because I get so frustrated with the darkness.
The first time night fell over Eden, I imagine Adam got a pretty quick response from God to his question, because Adam and God were pretty tight. But when he asked the same question about being driven from the Garden and into the dark world of pain, I think it might have been harder for him to hear God’s answer.
Imagine being the first two people to Sin, ever. You think you feel guilty? He would have come to God, not able to make eye contact, but still hoping for an answer.
“When will this darkness go away?” God would have answered perhaps in a whisper, after Adam had waited a while, “The Darkness will go away, in My time.”
