“Eve” to my “Adam”

My goal is to reread the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in 365 days. [SIDE NOTE: to aid it in this endeavor, I bought myself Gary Chapman's love languages devotional Bible. In 2013, I want to further develop my love for God, my family, other members of my support network (i.e. friends, sorority sisters, classmates, work acquaintances, etc.)] Earlier this month, I read Genesis chapters one through three. These passages detailed to the creation of earth, including man and woman, as well as the fall from grace and being banished from the Garden of Eden. This afternoon, I have been thinking about something that stuck out to me in the creation story I read: the creation of woman and her connection to man.

Genesis 2 states in pertinent part:

18 Then the Lord God said that, "it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."

19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all of the wild animals and all of the birds of the sky…

20 …But there was no helper just right for him.

21 So the Lord caused man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one man's ribs and closed up the opening.

22 Then the Lord God made woman from the rib, and brought her to the man.

         23 "At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh…"

24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

I cannot wait to be (re)united with the one whose rib I was made from (i.e. God's life match for me; the one who I am to help and I'm just right for). While I do not know if I have (or when I will) meet “the one”, I am ecstatic about the possibilities and pray to progress in the way God intends and in the timing God intends. God's will, and NOT my desires, be done.

Success: a Picture

If things in life do not look as if they are progressing, exercise your faith muscle. Rely less on your natural sight and more on your spiritual sight.

REMEMBER:
Hebrews 11:1
By Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

Story of Ed

Tomorrow begins a new semester at school. Just nine days ago, we welcomed a new year. As I think about the potentiality of all of this newness (both academically and otherwise), I think it appropriate to share my observations of a plant that I purchased a while back that I affectionately call "Ed":

At the beginning of an endeavor, I bought a plant from Home Depot to brighten up my apartment in a similar way that a part of my life had recently been brightened up . Red Bromeliads are supposed to look like this:

I never owned a red bromeliad before. I didn't know how to care for it. In a show of poor judgment (based on my lack of a green thumb), I watered Ed and left Ed in my car with the windows cracked on an 80+ degree day for several hours while I ran errands. I thought Ed was going to be ok. HOWEVER, after I returned from my errands, what once drew me to Ed no longer existed. Ed got severely sunburned.

I hoped water would bring Ed back to ruddy life. BUT, Ed remained brown: 

I decided to prune Ed (thinking cutting off the dead parts would bring Ed back to life). Ed's green parts grew. But Ed's red parts never came back. Even after I cut the brown parts away, once green parts would develop a brown edge:

I was about to lose ALL hope with Ed. I was going to throw Ed away and start fresh with a new plant. BUT, one day I saw something that rekindled my optimism: A BABY ED WAS GROWING ON THE SIDE!!!

In the near future, I will replant Baby Ed in new soil (and perhaps a new pot). Mama Ed is NEVER going to be what it once was. BUT, Baby Ed, a NEW and slightly different form of a familiar thing, has been born (and if nurtured, I'm sure Baby Ed will prosper).

Regarding plant maintenance, and in fact all aspects of my life, there are new things being born from old things. I must apply lessons learned and not be afraid of the future I do not know. What is old and dead must be cut away. What is new and living must be properly nurtured. God's will be done in 2013 for Baby Ed and me.

This scripture comes to mind:
John 15 New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

 

Pasted from <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2015&version=NIV1984>