Standing On The Edge

Today I am joining Lisa-Jo and friends for Five Minute Friday.

This is where we come together writing for 5 minutes without editing or overthinking.

I love this community.

Check out what everyone's is sharing on the word DIVE here.




So tonight at Bible study it started out just like every other time we gather. We were talking about familial sin. Not the easiest topic to discuss. The sins of parents handed down from generation to generation. We talked about the positive and negative traits of our parents and those that we have taken on as our own. We read the stories of Abram and Issac and Jacob and Esau. How history repeated itself and those it effected. We talked about how Jesus took on those sins and gave us freedom. That we are made new in Him.

Then it happened. I went a bit off track and followed His lead. I have to tell you that it felt a bit like standing on the edge of the diving board. Not the little one, but the high one. My heart beat a little faster and my hands started talking with me as I shared something a bit more.

I shared that though we are made new, we have a hard time seeing the new garments we wear...the righteousness. We see the dirty rags where He sees a brand new dress. That it is due to the old tape playing in our heads. The one that says that we aren't worthy. That it couldn't be possible that the old is gone. And we have to replace those thoughts. We have a choice to make...to believe what He says or what the enemy says. It all comes down to shutting that tape off in our heads and replacing it with what is good. His Word.


And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Blessings,

The First - Eve

Adam named his wife Eve, because she

would become the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:20 

I am fascinated by Eve. Not so much about the whole "hey let's take a bite of this apple" part of her life, but by the fact that she was the first...not only the first woman, but also the very first wife and mother.

She was created as a woman, so she didn't have a childhood or teenage years. She was created as a wife, so she didn't have a time of dating or an actual wedding. She was the mother of all living and went through pregnancy and childbirth without a mother or any other female support. There weren't any how to be a better wife and mother books, no tv shows with advice on raising children and how to better communicate with your husband.

She depended on God completely. While she lived in Eden she had community with Him that we can't fully experience today. She talked with Him there. She lived with Him there. She knew great joy and no sadness in that sinless world.

Then with one bite all of that went away and she was cast out. Oh how she must have mourned that loss. Today we can't imagine what that loss must have been like for her since we only know what it has been like since "the fall." But even then she relied on God for strength and provision. She knew that He had blessed her with children. She was able to deal with the loss of her sons through Him. She still had a relationship with her Father.

She wasn't just the first woman, wife, and mother. She was also the first redeemed. Even though she sinned and suffered consequences for those sins, God loved her and forgave her. He made a blood sacrifice for her which would be the first glimpse we would see in the ultimate plan of the sacrifice of His Son for us many years later.

There is so much more to be learned from Eve.

More than the choice to sin.

The choice to rely on our Father.

How does Eve's story speak to you?

Women Redeemed Live Webcast

Women sharing their struggles, fears and hope!




{Live Webcast Event}

In coordination with the launch of their fall releases, Kregel Publications will be hosting a live webcast event on September 20th at 8 PM EDT featuring authors Kim Ketola (Cradle My Heart), Teske Drake (Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow), and Dawn Scott Jones (When a Woman You Love Was Abused).

The webcast will allow women to come together to share their struggles and fears in order to move toward healing and hope. Women will able to support one another and discuss shared experiences (abortion, miscarriage and abuse) in a non-threatening, open and loving environment.

Cat Hoort of Kregel says, “We are seeking to provide safe means for Christian women to be vulnerable with each other, to seek help and guidance from authors and counselors, and to find encouragement from those who have shared similar experiences. Our hope is that the Women Redeemed webcast will become a forum for hurting women as well as for those who can help. Kim, Teske, and Dawn are all survivors and their stories will surely inspire and equip other women to move toward healing and hope.”

Please join tonight’s webcast and connect with the authors, talk about your own experiences, make some new friends, and win a prize! Hope to see you there!

To register for the event, just click the banner to the right or here.