Saturday: Bible Times

Final draft of Genesis 3:17... See about the project here...

  I woke up one day.  I have no memory of time before waking up.  Just that I was awake and alive and everything was new.  My father was with me, and as I looked around I saw lots of colors and moving things.  At the edges of myself I could feel wetness even though parts of me were very dry.  I felt a warmth shining on me during the day and cool, sometimes cold breezes on me at night, but my father never left me.  I found that I was able to nourish living things.  They grew out of me and Oh, they were beautiful.  One time, I felt Father pick up a piece of me.  A man was formed from me by my father and I noticed that while he didn’t grow out of me, part of me was used to make him, and he was also nourished by me.  It seemed that everything was nourished by me and I loved providing the fruits and the flowers and all the other things life needed.  Father put this man in charge of me and all the things I nourished.  Father noticed that the man, called Adam, wasn’t as happy as he could be, so he put Adam to sleep and took part of him, just like he did from me, and formed a woman.  Adams called her Eve.  We all had great times after Eve came along.  I loved to spend time with Father and the humans.  I loved that we worked together and I helped Adam nourish his family.  It was so easy and naturally, and none of us had any problems or worries.  I’m not sure when Eve started talking to the serpent, but I know that one day I saw them together.  They were looking at one of my trees and talking.  I saw her reach for it, but then jerked her hand back and walked away.  I love that tree with its beautiful blooms and fruit.  I see the humans go by it every day and pick fruit from other trees around it, but they aren’t allowed to pick the fruit of that tree.  I know there is a good reason, but sometimes I see them looking longingly at it.  They want that fruit, but Father assured them that death would come from the fruit.  No one wants that.  A few days later, I saw the serpent was back with Eve and this time I could hear him telling her that Father hadn’t told her the truth about the tree.  He said it wouldn’t bring death.  Is that true?  Surely Father wouldn’t tell us something that isn’t true.  I see her reach up for the fruit, and this time she takes it.  I really want her to take it because maybe the serpent is right, and maybe this fruit won’t bring death.  She takes a bite.  We all wait.  Nothing happens to her.  The serpent is right.  Now we’re wondering why Father didn’t tell us the truth.  It didn’t bring death.  Eve looks just the same.  Adam was walking along at this time and Eve called to him excitedly to tell him that nothing happened to her after eating the fruit, and it tasted really great.  So Adam immediately tasted the fruit, and he too thought it tasted good.  As soon as Adam and Eve had both tasted the fruit I began to feel different.  I couldn’t point to exactly what was different or what the problem was, but I knew there was something changed.  Adam and Eve didn’t say much after that either.  They both looked at each other in a weird way and then went their
separate ways.  I still didn’t think much about it until I heard Father come into the garden with us.  He usually comes all the time, but this time was different.  Father was walking slowly along by himself and he looked troubled, which I had never seen before.  He actually had to call to Adam and Eve when usually they came running to him when he came to the garden.  He called them more than one time and still they didn’t come.  I was beginning to feel kind of sick, and I was about to ask Father what could be wrong with me when I heard Adam finally speaking to Father.  Everyone sounded sad and hurt and even angry at times.  They were all blaming other things on the decisions they had made.  I couldn’t hear everything they said because I was beginning to feel so weak and sick.  I didn’t like the way I was feeling, and then I heard Father say why I was feeling this way.  He spoke directly to Adam and said, "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did. As long as you live, you will have to struggle to grow enough food.”  I now understood this sickness I was feeling.  I no longer had the strength to help Adam grow things.  I was cursed and no long able to nourish all living things without using all of my strength.  I cried out my pain to Father, and heard him whisper to me, “Don’t worry and be upset.  The pain is here now, but I have a plan and I promise you will live to your fullest one day again.  Believe and have faith.”