Grieving Our Hard Stories - a 6-Day Devotional on Living GriefSample

That Day Just Outside the Garden

It’s the choice that changed everything - the day our ancient sister chose to disobey God and eat the fruit. As a curious person, I have countless questions for Eve. But one of my deep soul wonderings is this: what was it like to leave perfection and step outside the Garden?

Sometimes, I picture them walking away from paradise. The place they lived in constant communion with God, perfect and fully at peace. And then, in an instant, on the heels of a sin that changed everything, the Garden gates are closed to them.

The shame and regret they must have battled. The fear she must have felt. And the deep soul groaning of grief.

Did she have any words to describe this history-altering loss? Did she know how to describe her grief? Her sorrow?

Over the next several years, Adam and Eve create a new life outside the Garden. They work hard. They build a family. And one day, one extra painful day, Eve learns that her son Abel has been killed by his brother. And in an instant, she becomes both the Mother of a murdered son and the Mother of a murderer.

I have no place for the depth of sorrow Eve must have endured. Her mind and heart flooded with memories of Eden as she buried her precious son - and watched her eldest leave forever.

But God

Sometimes, our choices - those outside God’s best for our lives - lead to painful consequences.

Most of us have eaten from the wrong tree before, too. And within that, we grieve. We grieve painful outcomes, missed opportunities, heartache, and separation from God through stepping away from His best for our lives.

But God is in the business of redemption and restoration. And from the very beginning, He has been rolling out a rescue mission to bring us back to Him. His love in action is a divine pursuit rooted in love and more grace than we can imagine.

During my first trip to Africa, I found myself in awe of the story of the lost sheep in Luke 15. Jesus, in a conversation with the Pharisees, says, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” (Luke 15:4-5).

I’m not sure what condition the lost sheep may be in when found by the shepherd. But I know I was not in good shape when Jesus came and found me.

Jesus goes and gets His sheep. He knows we’re grieving. He can feel our sorrow. And He scoops us up and brings us back into the fold. We never have to wonder if we are too far gone. His rescue and redemption are just a heartbeat away.

What choices have you made outside of God’s best plan for your life that have introduced you to grief? Consider offering them up to Him as part of your healing.