Everyone's Mom

"So God created man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them..."Genesis 1:27-28a

Good morning, dear friends!

Photo: cpinob pixabay public domain

Usually, when I read a book or watch a movie, I start at the beginning.  This week, since I am thinking about different moms in the Bible, I could not start anywhere else than at the very first mom and mother of us all:  Eve.

I know, I know, usually when I think about Eve, all that usually comes to mind are the bad choices and bad decisions that she made.  After all, Eve was the one who brought about the fall of mankind, and all the sin, sadness and pain that destroys our current lives are the results of her bad choices.  Obviously, if all I do is think about this aspect of Eve's life, I will always look at her negatively.  However, Eve lived a very long life on earth, and her life was like mine:  full of heartaches and joys, blessings and burdens.

So, instead of just focusing on her sin--and I am certainly not minimizing it, because all sin is horrible--I want to think instead of Eve as a mother, in fact, THE mother, the mom of everyone who lives or has ever lived on earth.  What a heavy responsability, and yet what a joy and privilege as well!

 I guess it's safe to say that there has never been another mom like Eve.  She was literally one of a kind!  Eve, along with Adam her husband, had the responsibility from God to populate the entire earth: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..." (Genesis 1:28) She did not have the luxury that you and I have about choosing our family size: Eve and her children had to fill the entire earth!

Just a side note:  She did her part of the job without the slightest help from another woman, because there weren't any others!  She could not attend a Lamaze class, or talk to other women about their deliveries, wonder about natural vs. medically assisted, hospital or home birth, doulah or midwife/doctor.  She had never even witnessed another human being born! Her only helps at this time were God, and her husband!

Giving birth is never easy, but imagine giving birth without having any idea what to expect!  Of course, she had seen animals being born, but never a human!  Added to her pains I think must have also been the knowledge that all the sufferings that she was experiencing were the direct results of her own sin and disobedience (Genesis 3:16).

After her child was there, Eve must have had so many questions!  She did not have other mothers with experience to ask for help.  She could not observe other mothers interact with their children.  She couldn't even relate her child's experiences with her own growing up years, because she had never been a little girl!  Everything she did was a new experience--she was charting the course for all the other moms who followed!

And what followed was difficult.  No mom on earth would hope to see the problems that Eve faced in the lives of her children.  No mother wants to witness her child's death (Abel) during her lifetime, but especially at the hands of her own son, Cain.  Her burden must have been greater, knowing that it was her own disobedience that had brought all of this trouble to her own family!  Even Seth's birth afterward would not have taken this sting away:  after all, one child cannot replace another.

Even though there is so much more to say about Eve and her descendants, here are some lessons that God has shown me through this remarkable woman and mom:

There is no such thing as perfect parents on the earth.  God is the perfect Creator, who is sinless and made everything perfect, yet even His own children disobeyed and rebelled against Him.  Adam and Eve and their descendants chose separation from God because of their sinfulness, and their children after them, all the way to us today, have made that same choice.  Instead of looking to be a perfect mom, I should be concentrated on staying as far away from sin as possible in my life.

There have always been rebellious children.  Of course parents have the responsibilty to raise their children "in the nuture and admonition of the Lord,"  (Ephesians 6:4), but after that, the children must also continue and follow in this instruction.  After all, Cain was Eve's firstborn, and I am sure that she spent a lot of time with him.  Cain chose his path: disobedience, jealousy and murder.  Abel, who was also raised by Adam and Eve, chose to worship God and serve Him with his offerings.  These boys had the same parents, but chose very different paths for their lives.  Instead of criticizing moms when their children make bad decisions, I should be praying and encouraging these same moms.

God is never far away from us moms.  Every mom can bring her burdens to the Lord.  God never abandoned Eve after her rebellion in the garden.  Eve continued to recognize the hand of the Lord in her life and in the life of her children (Genesis 4:1 and Genesis 4:25).  The Bible promesses that God always hears my prayers and listens when I call for Him, as I am reminded by Paul in Acts 17:27: "...That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of them."

May I be encouraged today in Eve the mom, to look to God for guidance and help to be the best mom possible.  Eve certainly knew heartaches and joys in her mom-heart, just as I do today.

Perhaps, we're not that different after all, she and I....


Coming tomorrow:  The Mother of a Nation