The Effects of Sin, Some of Them Anyway

So...

We were in Sunday School this morning, and I just have to share a few things I learned.  

We started a new "semester" of classes last week, and we are doing a very broad overview of the Bible.  It's categorized as Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration.  This is a reformed theology way of looking at the Bible in case you're interested.  So far, we've discussed creation and made it up to Adam and Eve today when they were banished from the Garden of Eden.  First off, we were talking about how Gen. 1:27 is indented, set off from the rest of the text, which means it could either be poetry or a song.  Our teacher likened it to the hobbits breaking out into song in The Lord of the Rings.  In the previous verses, God names all the things he has created and "saw that it was good."  When he gets to verse 27 it's like he breaks out into song because he delights in the man he has created.  Just think about that.  You always hear that God loves you, but have you ever thought about how he delights in you, HIS CREATION?  He broke into song or makes a poem because of what he has created, man, and then in verse 28 he blesses man.  I don't know, maybe this isn't news to you, but it just reminds me of his awesome grace.

Along comes chapter 3.  Eve is tempted by the serpent, Adam is tempted by Eve, and they both give in to their temptation and eat the forbidden fruit.  "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked."  Later when God came to walk in the garden, he talks with Adam and Eve about what they have done.  After he curses the serpent for what he has done, he tells Eve that because of what she has done he will multiply her pain in childbearing and tells Adam that the ground is cursed because of him and thorns and thistles will be brought forth, and he will have to eat the plants of the field.  Now, here is the other thing I learned.  Our teacher reminded us that the creation mandate tells us to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over the earth.  Do you find it interesting that what has been mandated to us has also been cursed?  Because of our sin, life will be hard.  There will be pain.  There will be hard work.

 And yes, I said, "our sin".  Even though Adam and Eve were the ones who ate of the fruit it doesn't mean it was just their sin.  I know that if I had been the first woman, I would have eaten it too.

Changing the subject for a minute, for those of you who don't know, I recently had a miscarriage.  We're doing fine.  It was very sad for a time, but it was very early, and I hardly even had a chance to know I was pregnant before it happened, so don't worry about us.  However, you can't help but wonder things.  It wasn't that I was questioning God, but I just kept wondering why if he didn't think I should be pregnant, then why let it happen in the first place?  My question was answered today, at least in my opinion.  You may not see the scripture this way, but it's how I interpreted it.  

Because of Eve's sin, she (all women) was (were) cursed with pain in childbirth.  I had always thought of that pain as physical.  I realized today that the pain could also be emotional.  I am a human.  I sin.  I receive the effects of that sin.  

I also realize that not everything has a reason.  God never promised that he would make everything crystal clear to us, but this is just something I feel like he put on my heart, and I felt like I should share it and also work out for myself as I type it.