The Garden of Eden
God’s very first role in humanity was being our mommy. He created the garden of Eden. The bible says,
Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. God made all kinds of trees… beautiful to look at and good to eat…A river flows out of Eden…where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone.
Genesis 2:8-13
It was this perfect sanctuary of beauty and abundance. God put his children there, Adam and Eve. He was their mommy. He gave them the best of everything. They never had to get a job, or work, or suffer. They could just enjoy the best of life.
God was their mommy
Now it doesn’t say this in the Bible. However, I’m imagining that God loved Adam the way any mommy loves her first born child.
I imagine God saying to Adam, “You’re my favorite. Yes you are. You are so loved. You are so cute. You are so happy. You are so wonderful. I love you.”
Then, God made Adam a friend. He created Eve.
God said, ‘It’s not good for you to be alone; I’ll make you a helper, a companion.’
Genesis 2:18
If you were a mommy and you introduce your child to a new friend, what would you say? You’d probably say “Here’s your friend. Isn’t she pretty? She’s so special. She’s your perfect mate. You are so cute together! You’re adorable. Yes, you are.”
Just like any mother of young children, God surrounded Adam and Eve with 100% positive vibes. There was no negativity at all in the whole garden of Eden.
That’s what mommies do.
Have you ever gone to the beach and you see parents putting up a playpen for their child, they put up the umbrella, bring out a cooler with snacks and then lay out all the toys. They make one little area—out of the whole beach—that’s safe and protected and fun for their child. That’s what parents do. They make the world perfect for their child.
So God made the Garden of Eden.
The snake comes along and starts to put thoughts into Eve’s head. He’s like, “God is not telling you everything. It’s not all roses and puppy dogs out there, you know.”
Eve is like, “It looks like roses and puppy dogs around here.”
The snake was like, “No. There’s a whole world out there—outside of the garden of eden—that is NOT roses and puppy dogs.”
That’s when the snake told Eve about the apple.
God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.
Genesis 2:4-5
In other words, “If you eat that apple, you’re going to know what your mommy, knows. That the world is not full of roses and puppy dogs. There’s more…..”
And what Eve didn’t know and what God, her mommy, specifically did not tell her, was that outside of this playpen where you are safe, protected, and loved, not everyone thinks you are special, not everyone thinks you are sweet and cute and adorable.
Mommy’s put you on a need-to-know-basis. They don’t give you all the information, because that’s not what they want you to focus on. They set up this playpen to maximize your happiness, and to maximize your enjoyment of the beach. You leave that beach thinking it was the best place ever. You never had to deal with sharks, stinging jelly fish, crashing waves, barking dogs, drunk teenagers on spring break. Mommy doesn’t tell you all those things. She just sets you up to be happy.
So no, God, their mommy, didn’t let his kids see — what he didn’t want them to focus on.
What God doesn’t want you to see
I lost my eyesight at age 13. I turned legally blind. Now I have strong contact lenses to help me see.
When I asked God why did he make me blind, he said, “I never wanted you to see the terrible way the world sees you.”
God didn’t want Adam and Even to focus on the negative. He surrounded them with positivity, so that they would only focus on what’s positive.
Mommies don’t tell you everything. Sometimes, they lie. They never tell you the facts—that you’re an ugly duckling. They tell you that you’re a swan.
And they keep telling you that over and over again even when the world is chanting, “Hey, ugly duckling!” because to a Mommy, the truth is inside of you— it’s not out there in the terrible way the world sees you.
It’s in here. It’s how Mommy sees you. And how you see yourself.
You are a swan
God didn’t want Adam and Eve to know that they were good AND evil. Cuz Mommy don’t care. God doesn’t care that you are good AND evil.
He only wants you to know the important part— that you are GOOD.
