Are You Lost in a Wilderness of Sin?

It is amazing how there are some sins that each of us are guilty of committing repeatedly. That is what Abraham and Sarah obviously struggled with in chapter 20.

Abraham and Sarah have arrived at the city of Gerar, and Abraham tells Abimelech (the king), "She is my sister." This is a similar thing that occurred back in Genesis chapter 12 when they entered into Egypt. Well, so, King Abimelech took Sarah and I am sure was going to make her his wife. Thankfully, God intervened and came to King Abimelech in a dream and warned him that he would die because he had taken another man's wife. Abimelech explains to the Lord that he is innocent because he was misled by Abraham. God then tells Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham or he and his family will die. Abimelech does as God commanded him and the he asks Abraham why he did this to him. Abraham responds," I did it because I thought, there is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife." Abraham then explains that she is his half sister. And then Abraham mentions that he had asked Sarah to do this very same thing at every place that they had come to!

King Abimelech then gave many gifts to Abraham and Abraham prayed and God opened the wombs of the women of the city. Apparently, God had made it impossible for anyone to conceive to preserve that Isaac was truly Abraham's son.

But what can we learn from this second account of Abraham and Sarah's lie? Yes, it is wrong to lie as we mentioned before. But I want to approach this a little bit differently. I want to show how merciful and gracious of a God we do serve. What would have happened if God had not intervened? Abimelech probably would have touched Sarah and possibly altered God's plan of a son coming from Abraham. That one little lie could have seriously altered God's promise to Abraham and could have affected so many future generations. Thankfully, God intervened. We know that God does not exactly intervene the way that he did back in the days of Abraham. Yes, God is still merciful and gracious and he does intervene in other ways, but how easily could a simple little lie cause us to embark on a path that God had not intended? We need to be so careful! God can use our lives and situations even when they may not be his perfect will or plan. He is God. We are sinful man. He does work all things for our good and His glory. But we need to be following Him. We need to be women of truth. We need to put away lying.

The beginning of chapter 21 we see the fulfilling of a promise! And we also see how much of a hand God does have in creating life! Yes, it does take a man and a woman to create life, but God is also in it as we clearly see in verse 1 which states, "the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised." Sarah conceived and Isaac was born at the exact time that God had told them it would occur! The name Isaac means laughter. This could go back to Sarah laughing in chapter 18, or it could be in reference to both Sarah and Abraham bearing a child in their old age. Verse 6 says, "...everyone who hears will laugh over me."

In verse 9 we see that Sarah and Hagar still have a struggling relationship. Obviously, there is still bitterness on the part of Sarah over Abraham's other wife and her servant. Sarah observes Ishmael (Hagar's son) mocking, and has both Hagar and Ishmael sent away.

I found it interesting that even though Abraham was not pleased with this, God told Abraham to do as Sarah said. Obviously, God was going to work it all out despite Sarah's bitterness toward Hagar. That is not to say that Sarah was right to be bitter, no, it is never right to be bitter towards another person. But God was in control of the situation regardless of the sinfulness of man.

So, Hagar and Ishmael flee to the wilderness of Beersheba (I have been here...it is pretty desolate even today. Notice the picture below.) with some water and bread. Before long the water and bread were gone, and so she had Ishmael sit under one of the bushes for shade and she went off a little ways and wept and cried out in despair for she did not want to watch her son die. God heard her cry and answered her and God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water!

Hagar's story is one that many women can relate to! Even I can. She had two times when she had nowhere to run and was at the end of her rope (chapter 16 and chapter 21). She did not know what to do. The first time she was in the wilderness she was beside a spring of water. And the Lord had to find her! I find this interesting because I think this was the moment when Hagar also found the Lord. The second time she was in the wilderness she ran out of water. What did she do? She cried out to the Lord!  The Lord answered her cry and gave her what she needed! 

Have you found yourself in the wilderness, lost, with nowhere to turn? When I was in the same wilderness over in Israel where this story took place, it was desolate. There were hardly any animals and everywhere you turned the landscape was the same. You could have been walking in circles and have never known it. When you were in that wilderness, did God find you? I know he was looking for you! Once God finds you he will never let you go! But you also need to be looking for him! What am I talking about? Becoming his child! Realizing what he has done for you when he had his only Son die in your place so that you could be free from the penalty of sin. That penalty being death and an eternity separated from God. How do you become his child? It is so simple! Simply cry out to God, admit that you are a sinner and are not worthy of God's gift of eternal salvation, believing that because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ (God's only son) when he died on the cross, you have everlasting life in God! And trust God with your life. Choose to follow him and give your life to God as a sacrifice for what he has done for you! 

I believe Hagar knew this beautifully when the Lord found her in the wilderness and when she cried out to God in the wilderness! Because, in all reality, without God we are truly lost. Has God found you? Are you his child? Can you cry out to Him when you have nowhere else to go? 

the wilderness. Very much full of nothing. 

a truly desolate landscape. 

This was in the middle of the wilderness pictured above! It was amazing! We literally walked along seeing nothing different from the pictures above, and then we rounded this corner, and Voila! Here is this little spot of water! I am not kidding when I say you could have easily walked around this for days without finding it! 

Trusting the God of the Impossible and Finding True Satisfaction through Him

In these chapters there is a lot to learn from 4 different women. Only 1 of those women we have already talked about. So, hang on! Today's entry is loaded!

We begin with Abraham sitting at the door of his tent when the Lord appears to him in the form of 3 men. He calls for Sarah to make cakes with 7 quarts of flour! That is a lot of cakes! Abraham really wants these visitors well taken care of! He even has their feet washed and a calf prepared! While they are sitting beneath the tree eating, they ask Abraham where his wife Sarah is. He replies that she is in the tent, to which they (the Lord) state they will return about the same time the next year and Sarah will have a son. Well, Sarah was listening to this conversation and she was thinking how was this even possible. She had obviously stopped having menstrual cycles (she is 90 years old and Abraham is 100 years old at this point). So, she laughed to herself and said, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old (speaking of Abraham), shall I have pleasure?"

Even though she laughed to herself, the Lord saw her response and said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Sarah denies that she laughed even to the Lord himself! To which the Lord firmly corrects her.

Sarah was caught by the Lord in a lie. She actually lied to God. Wow. When I was reading this I thought, how could she lie to God?! Did she not know who her visitors were? We need to be careful. We need to remember that lying is a sin. It goes against one of God's commandments. Even if it is something simple we need to be women of truth. Sarah was trying to cover up her unbelief that God could do the impossible. Let's not forget that we do serve the God of the impossible and let's live our lives as women of the truth. No matter how small a lie, lets remember that it is still a sin against our God.

The next woman we are about to meet doesn't have much spoken about her. But she is known for being more concerned with the things of this world than obeying the commands of God. She is Lot's wife.

Let me give you some back story. At the end of chapter 18, Abraham is interceding on behalf of Sodom because the Lord is going to judge Sodom and destroy them because of their wickedness. Abraham knows his nephew, Lot, lives here with his family. The Lord promises Abraham that if 10 righteous people are found, He will not destroy the city. So, in chapter 19, two angels come to Sodom in the evening in similar fashion as the 3 visitors came to Abraham. Lot invites them into his house and, like Abraham, provides a meal for them. But, there is no report of Lot's wife assisting in the meal. After the meal, right before they lay down for the night, the men of the city of Sodom come asking for the 2 visitors that they may commit acts of sexual immorality on them. Instead, Lot offers his 2 daughters in place of the 2 men. This makes me so sick. I cannot imagine how a father could do such a thing. But that goes to show just how much living in such an environment will alter someone's thinking. If you are surrounded by such wickedness day in and day out, you become used to it. It becomes normal for you. You cannot see how it is effecting you. I fear that is the state our country is in today. But more on that later. The 2 men ended up saving Lot from the gang of angry men outside his door and then they struck the gang blind.

The next morning the 2 men (now referred to as angels) literally had to seize Lot, his wife, and his daughters by the hand and set them outside the city. Because the entire valley is going to be destroyed, Lot is told to escape to the hills, but Lot pleads to take refuge in a small city. The Lord is merciful and allows this and told Lot and his family to escape for their lives and to not look back, but in verse 26, Lot's wife did look back. Instantly she was turned into a pillar of salt.

We are not told why she looked back. Maybe she liked her life in Sodom, maybe she had left behind some things of value, maybe she was fearful for the friends whose lives were being judged. We don't know, but she disobeyed the command of God and let those earthly things get in the way of following God. We must be careful that we do not allow the things of this world to get in the way of what God has commanded us to do.

So, there is Lot, without his wife, and left with his 2 daughters. He ended up leaving the small city he had requested to go to and ended up living in a cave in the hills. Ironically, this is where God had told him to flee in the first place. What happens next? Lot's 2 daughters decide to take matters into their own hands (kind of like Sarah did with Abraham and Hagar). They see that their father is old, and they thought there was no man who could give them offspring. So, they get their father drunk and lie with him and both become pregnant from their father. Reading this we can see how this is wrong on so many levels. But what could have possibly caused them to think this? How could they commit such an act?

Is it possible that because they were raised in an environment that focused on worldly gain and pleasure that they saw nothing wrong with pursuing these things on their own? It is probable that they had a mother who also put her focus on worldly gain and pleasure. Because she made that a priority in her life, she disobeyed God and was turned into a pillar of salt. Imagine if God carried out this punishment on people today. I think there would be a lot more pillars of salt in our world. We need to be mindful of what we are teaching our children. Let's strive to help our children see that the things of this world do not matter. Let's be women and mothers who help our children draw closer and closer to God and that having a close relationship to God is the only thing in this life that brings true satisfaction and everlasting joy! How can we do this? By being an example to our children. If we are finding true satisfaction and everlasting joy in God our Savior than they will want the same in their lives!

Waiting on God's Perfect Timing

Yesterday I mentioned how interesting it was that God kept encouraging Abram that he would make a great nation of his offspring. Chapter 15 begins with a covenant being made between God and Abram as a promise to Abram. Obviously, God is trying to let Abram know that even when things seem impossible, God's promises are true.

But in chapter 16, Sarai decides to take matters into her own hands. She has not had any children. Yet I am sure she knows what the Lord has told her husband concerning their offspring. She becomes impatient and I am sure she is aware that she is getting older and sees the possibility of ever having children fleeting quickly. Her attitude changes. She seems to blame God in chapter 16 verse 2 when she says, "Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children." So, what does she do next? She tells her husband to take her Egyptian servant Hagar as his wife. You could look at this and say, "oh, but she is being so humble! She knows she cannot give her husband what he needs to fulfill God's promise, so she is giving her husband an opportunity to father a child!" But that thinking would be so wrong as well! Sarai shows that she has become impatient. She knows what God has promised, yet because God has not worked for her on her timetable she blames God and then takes matters into her own hands! How many times do we as wives, or even single women do this very same thing?

Obviously, we aren't going to tell our husbands to go and take another wife, but have we ever known in our hearts that God will answer our prayers, or fulfill one of his promises, but instead of waiting on His perfect timing, decide to try to work the situation, problem, etc out on our own? I know I am definitely guilty of this!

Think of this scenario: You and your husband are praying about an area of your lives. There is an obvious need for a new vehicle. You and your husband are praying about it for months. You know that God has promised to supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19). But, instead of continuing to wait on God's timing you decide to buy a vehicle anyway. It may not be the best vehicle, but it takes care of the need. A couple weeks later, you get a call from a friend asking if you still need a vehicle because they have one and God placed it on their hearts to give it to you.

Has this kind of thing ever occurred in your life? I know it has ours. In fact, a similar situation to the one mentioned above. The vehicle we bought cheaply and on a whim ended up costing us about 2x what we paid for it in repairs and then it died completely just 3 months later!

We need to remember that God can see the big picture. He knows what we need and he has promised us many many things in His word. We need to learn to practice patience in our lives and we also need to learn to trust God and stop taking matters into our own hands.

So, what happened next? Was that the end of the story? Nope. It just gets worse. Hagar did conceive, and then because she knew she had the ability to conceive looked down on Sarai with contempt. Sarai then gets angry at Abram and says, "May the wrong done to me be on you!" Basically, saying it was Abram's fault. So, in return, Abram tells Sarai to deal with Hagar how she pleases, causing Hagar to flee (she was probably thinking she was fleeing for her life). Thankfully, God intervened. He had one of his messengers (an angel of the Lord) find Hagar. This messenger told Hagar to change her attitude toward Sarai and to submit to her authority. The messenger also encouraged Hagar by promising to multiply her offspring. BUT, her son would be a strongly independent man, and would live a life of hostility toward others.

So, what can we learn from these two women? Obviously, we do need to wait on God's timing, allow our husbands to lead our families, and we need to trust God's promises. How are you doing in these areas? I know I need to work harder on these three things! But it is comforting to know that even when I stumble and do not follow these principals in my life, God is there to pick me up and brush me off (of course, not without consequences) and help me get back on the right track. Let's strive to be women who are patiently waiting and relying on God our heavenly Father! And let us encourage our husbands to do the same!!

In chapter 17 beginning in verse 15 we see that had Sarai (who now has her name changed to Sarah, meaning princess) simply waited a little bit longer, even after her natural child-bearing years were behind her, she could have avoided so much trial in her families life. In verse 16 God says, "I will bless her (Sarah) and moreover, I will give you a son (Isaac) by her, and she shall become nations; kings of people shall come from her!" So, how long did Sarah have to wait for God's promise to be fulfilled?? She was 90 years old when God spoke these words to her husband! So, according to verse 21, Sarah was about 91 years old when she gave birth to her first born son, Isaac!

God does keep his promises. God does have a plan that is bigger than us! We may not understand that plan. It may not be as we would want it. But thats where we need to step aside and allow God to do what is best for us and that will give Him ultimate glory! Be patient! Wait on the Lord! Trust in God!

Submitting to Our Husbands Authority

Genesis 10-11 is basically giving the family line of Noah's sons, (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) and giving the account of God confusing the languages of those in Babel and then dispersing those people across the earth.

At the end of chapter 11 it gives a list of the generations of Shem. I was able to highlight something interesting here. This genealogy mentions daughters! Unfortunately, I am not exactly sure why. It might have something to do with the introduction of Abram and Sarai at the end of chapter 11. Terah was the father of Abram (later known as Abraham), and Abram married Sarai who was actually Abram's half sister (same father, not the same mother). An interesting note about Sarai is that as soon as the Bible mentions her, it also mentions that she is barren. The Bible does not say she could not conceive, it simply says she had no child.

Of course, I decided to park here for a little bit. Those who are close to my husband and I understand the trial that we went through a few years ago. We struggled to get pregnant. I am sure it was not Sarai's choice that she did not have a child. We know this from later on in the book of Genesis. No woman wants to find out that she is barren. Anyway, children are a gift from God and are included in the very first commandment (be fruitful and multiply!). I could totally relate with Sarai! I had no child! I remembered reading this when we were trying to have a baby a few years ago and finding comfort knowing we were not alone. But the story continues.....

In chapter 12 the Lord tells Abram that he will make of him a great nation. The Lord also tells him that he will give the land (Canaan) to Abram's offspring. I am sure Abram shared this with his wife, I am sure it gave her hope as well. That was the point in the story where I stopped being able to relate with Sarai a few years back! In my mind, I did not have that hope. I did not have a promise from God about my offspring. But I was seriously misled. You see, I allowed myself to get frustrated and give up so to speak on having children. I tried on my own to find out what was wrong with me and my husband. I turned to doctors and I turned away from trusting God. I also stressed about it. None of that helped my situation. What I should have done was fully put my trust in God. If that meant that my "offspring" would come from adopting a child, then so be it. I should have just let God take control instead of trying to figure things out on my own.

Thankfully, what I didn't know was that God was trying to teach me this lesson. While at the fertility clinic getting set up to begin treatments once my next cycle began, God had already decided to bless us. I was at the clinic with no hope, and I was already pregnant! We serve an awesome God!
If you are in a similar situation, don't give up hope. God may be trying to teach you something. Trust him! Follow his plan! Don't stress, just trust that God has a perfect timing for everything (as we will see later on in the story of Abram and Sarai).

The other day I wrote about following our husbands leadership. At the end of chapter 12 we see how Sarai followed her husbands leadership even in a tough situation. In verse 11 Abram and Sarai are entering Egypt and Abram asks Sarai to tell the Egyptians that she is Abram's sister. This isn't a total lie as I mentioned before. She really was Abram's half sister. But as we all learned when we were little a partial lie is still what? A lie. Sarai was beautiful and Abram was fearful that he would be killed by the Egyptians if he said she was his wife. Yes, this was a low point in Abram's life (proof that even though we are sinners God can still use us). But there is no account of Sarai arguing with Abram. No account of her suggesting they do otherwise. Just simply an account of her obedience as Abram's wife. So, what happened? The princes of Pharaoh saw Sarai and they praised her to Pharaoh. They treated Abram very well, BUT....the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues. Pharaoh knew what Abram had done and they sent both Abram and Sarai away.

Do our husbands always make the best decisions? No. This story was a rebuke to me. I have this one problem that my husband will quickly admit is right...sometimes I say too much. Sometimes I speak when I shouldn't. Sometimes I add my two cents where it doesn't belong and forget to let my husband lead. Sarai is a beautiful example of a woman who followed her husbands lead even when it wasn't the best and wasn't right. When we stand before Christ we will not be responsible for how we lead our families, we will be responsible for how we followed our husbands and submitted to their authority. It is our husbands who will be responsible for how they led their families. We need to remember this and we need to allow our husbands to lead. Does that mean that it would have been wrong for Sarai to have spoken up in this situation and said that it would not be right to lie? I don't necessarily think so, but if Abram asked her to follow him even after she mentioned this, then it would have been wrong for her to do otherwise I think. What are your thoughts?? It is an interesting situation. What would you have done in Sarai's shoes? I would love to hear your feedback on this topic.

Following Our Husband's Godly Leadership

Noah's Wife. She must have been a very strong woman. Even though her name is not mentioned I already admire her. She was set apart by God to be one of only 4 women who would survive the worldwide flood. I tried to imagine what she must have been like raising 3 boys. Her husband obviously loved God and followed God with his life. And from what it seems she didn't have anyone else to turn to for guidance and direction except God and her husband. She didn't have godly friends who she could talk to. Maybe she had a mother in law who was still alive who she could talk to, but we don't know that. She simply had to follow God and her husband.

So, one day her husband comes to her and shares with her what God has told him he needs to do. Her husband needs to build a really really big boat because God is going to send a deluge of rain (which they had never known of because prior to the flood there was a moist canopy that covered the earth...it had never rained before). I wonder what she was thinking. I am sure she prayed for her husband and her sons who helped to build this huge boat, but I am sure she also asked God many questions. I know I would have! But ultimately we see that she followed her husbands instructions and guidance even when it didn't make sense because she knew that her husband followed God and trusted God! What an awesome example and a rebuke to me! I know I may not have always followed my husbands instructions and guidance as perfectly as I should have. I have questioned him on many occasions as i tend to be a bit stubborn and strong willed at times. But here, this wife was faced with something she had no knowledge about. Something that I am sure some people saw as crazy. Yet, she stood by her husband and followed him into the boat!

We need to be willing to trust our husbands as they follow God. Even when things don't make sense and we may not understand. We need to focus on our duties as wives. Does that mean we never ask questions? No. I am sure Noah's wife asked questions and I am sure they prayed about many aspects of what God had called them to do. But that is the key! To follow God TOGETHER as husband and wife! Be a team for God! God used Noah and his family because they were different from the rest of the world. They were not afraid to follow God when everyone else was following their flesh and forsaking God. Let's strive to be different! Let's strive to follow God more closely! And let's strive to follow our husbands and stand next to our husbands and be a team for the glory of God!

A Promise of Peace and a Command to Follow

While reading this passage last night only 2 main points concerning women stood out to me. One is a promise that brings peace and the other is a principle/command to follow. Neither is directly mentioned.  But both can be found if you look deeper into this passage.

What's happening:
Adam and Eve have left the garden and are in the process of fulfilling God's first command to "be fruitful and multiply." Eve gives birth to 2 sons, Cain and Abel. We all know the story. Cain and Abel bring offerings to God. Cain brings an offering of the fruit of the ground and Abel brings a firstborn of his flock of sheep. God was more pleased with Abel's offering than Cain's. This is not to say that God prefers shepherds to farmers, rather I think God could see the heart of each man and saw a greater love and devotion and sacrifice in the heart of Abel. Consequently, Cain became enraged at his brother and killed him.
From there the passage goes into the descendants of Cain and then in chapter 5 Adam and Eve have another son named Seth. The passage then continues with the descendants of Seth.

A Promise: 
There are two main lists of descendants mentioned in this passage. One list is from Cain and the other is from Seth. I found the placement of these in this passage interesting. In chapter 4 verses 17-24 it mentions the descendants of Cain. It is obvious to see how Cain's sinful heart affected his future generations. His great great great grandson was Lamech. The only thing mentioned about Lamech was that he had 2 wives and that he killed a man for simply wounding/striking him. Obviously there was a root of anger that flowed through this blood line.

But now back to the promise! After reading through chapter 4 and seeing how one man's sinful heart affected future generations, chapter 5 begins by saying again in verse 2, "Male and female he created them, and he blessed them...." And then it goes into the descendants of Seth. And what a contrast! In the line of Seth we have people like Enoch who is simply known as having "walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Enoch then fathered Methuselah who was the oldest man who ever lived! And then Methuselah's grandson was Noah!

We can see how even in the midst of a sin cursed world, God blessed! But even more, we can see how the lives of those lived before impacted the future generations. I was reminded of how truly important my walk with God is and how it will affect the lives of my children and grandchildren and even my great great great grandchildren! Let's be the ones who, no matter what kind of influence we had in past generations, take a stand NOW and make a difference in the generations to come for the glory of God!

And let me just add that the descendants of Cain are not all known for bad things. Jabal was known as the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock, and Jubal was known as the father of those who play the lyre and pipe, and Tubal-cain was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. These were Cain's great great great great grandson's. BUT, I must add....what did they do for Christ?? For that they are not remembered.

A Principal for those who are single:
The first part of chapter 6 can be confusing. And there is much speculation about what exactly it means. But no matter what it means, there is a principal that can be applied.

This comes after the birth of Noah, and we all know how wicked and corrupt the world was at that time based on what we know happens later in Noah's life. But more on that....later. In the beginning of chapter 6 it directly mentions the daughters that were born as man continued to multiply on the earth. These daughters were apparently attractive, and the sons of God chose them as their wives. This is where the speculation comes in. No one really knows exactly what is meant in this chapter. In my study Bible it mentions three possibilities as to the identities of the sons of God: 1) fallen angels, 2) tyrannical human judges or kings - from the ungodly line of Lamech, who were possibly demon possessed, or 3) followers of God from the line of Seth who married ungodly daughters of Cain.

Either way, a principal that can be applied here is that who we marry is important! In the New Testament  it mentions that we are not to be un-equally yoked together with unbelievers. We need to follow God's plan for our lives. We need to be searching for a man who loves God more than he will ever love us! Even if you find a man who loves you and seems so perfect, but he does not love God, I would encourage you to run the other direction. Why? Because his entire basis for life is wrong. His priorities are wrong. And it will cause strife in your marriage. Some may argue that if you get married then maybe he will come to Christ. But what if he doesn't? How will that affect your children? Most importantly, God commands that we not even enter into that relationship. Therefore we must follow God. This is a tough area! But wouldn't you love to find a husband who believes the same as you, who loves God with all of his heart and who will teach your children to love God as well? Remember the promise mentioned above about our future generations? This is part of that! How confused will our children be if they see Mommy following God, and Daddy wanting no part of God in his life? This is so important! So, I would encourage those who are single to continue to pursue God and when God's timing is perfect He will bring the RIGHT man into your life! A man who is also pursuing God waiting for God to bring that perfect girl into his life!

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
                  Psalm 27:14

The Creation of Woman

Of course, we all know the story of creation and the fall of mankind. But I will be the first to admit that I never quite saw things this way! My first touch of pink that I added to my Bible was in Genesis 1:27 where it first mentions God creating male and female. Simple enough, right? :)

The very first commandment in the Bible is to be fruitful and multiply and FILL THE EARTH! Of course, this means children! For those of you who have children we all know what a true blessing they are to us! I have a 1 year old son named Aaron and we have our second little one on the way (due the end of March 2013). Yes! We are excited! No, it is not easy having children. But, before the commandment God blessed this first couple! And no matter how tough raising children can be we must remember that they are a blessing from God himself!

In chapter 2 verse 18 we get to my favorite part where God created Eve! I think this is such a beautiful picture of how the husband and wife relationship is supposed to be. I know it has really helped me (even today) to once again show me where I am lacking in my "help meet" responsibilities to my husband. It begins by God actually saying "it is not good that the man should be alone." How true! What would our husbands do without us?? How boring their lives would be!! I know, some of you might be thinking that your husband might enjoy some time away from you! lol! But the honest truth is that if you are truly seeking to be the kind of wife that your husband needs, he will miss you terribly and will gladly anticipate the moment when he can pull you into his arms again and just be near you! The key is if you are seeking to be his 'help meet" (verse 20).

What is a "help meet?" I have a study Bible and I love how it describes this! A "help meet" is a helper fit for him! "Helper is one who supplies strength in the area that is lacking in 'the helped.' The term does not imply that the helper is either stronger or weaker than the one helped. 'Fit for him' or 'matching him' is not the same as 'like him:' a wife is not her husband's clone but compliments him."

Verse 23 I think is just beautiful! Adam is speaking and he says, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Such a beautiful portrayal of the oneness that exists between husband and wife. Having been married for only 5 years, I am definitely not an expert on marriage, but because I am married I can say I do sorta understand this oneness! My husband has learned to read me. I don't have to say much, he just understands me in a way that no one else does. Why? Because we have shared a closeness with each other that I have never shared with anyone else. And because it is a picture of how marriage is supposed to be. Marriage is the closest of all human relationships.

In verse 24 lies the key to having a oneness in your marriage. It can be tough for both the husband and the wife, but it is crucial to a thriving and strong relationship...what is it you ask? Leaving the parents and cleaving to your spouse. What does this entail? Well, before you were married your parents were like home base so to speak. You went to them for advice and sometimes they were the final say on things. You were under their authority. Once you are married you turn from your parents authority in your life (while still honoring them) and your husband is then your authority in place of your parents. Does it mean moving far far away from your parents? For some, they might need to in order to properly follow this command. But, that is not what it means for everyone. In Bible times, sons did not move away after they got married. Instead, they lived near their parents and eventually inherited their father's land. Wow! Can you imagine living near your in laws for the rest of their lives? :) For me, that wouldn't be horrible, I love my mother in law. But I know for others it would be a disaster. Again, it would mean truly practicing the leave and cleave part of the marriage covenant.

Wait...did I just say covenant? Yup. That is what the marriage vow is. It is a covenant. When you promised your husband that you would honor and cherish and love him till death do you part you entered into a covenant that cannot be broken aside from death. There is no escape clause. When I got married I was determined to love my husband no matter what. I knew there were going to be days when we didn't necessarily like each other, but I would always love him and I was committed to making it work out and to work through whatever situation might arise. I believe more couples need to understand this and go into marriage with a similar attitude.

So, there was Adam and Eve in the garden, fulfilling God's covenant and command, when disaster struck. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. But I think there is a deeper lesson to be learned from this for us wives. I believe it goes back to Eve's heart and her belief's about God's word. We all know the story, the serpent came and tempted Eve with the forbidden fruit. But if you look closely, there was a flaw in how Eve viewed God. In chapter 3 and verse 2-3 the serpent questioned what God had said concerning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. To which Eve replied in a way that actually changed how God originally stated his command. In chapter 2 verse 16 God says "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." When Eve answers the serpent regarding what God had said she changes the words: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die." What does this say of Eve? Possibly that her view of God's instruction was open to human modification. As Christians we know this is not truth. What happened next? She ate of the fruit of that tree and she gave some to Adam.

As wives (and wives to be) we need to be very careful that we are not making our own interpretations of God's commandments. If we are they could have serious impacts on our relationships with God and our husbands. We could hinder our husbands walk with God, we could hinder our husbands testimonies, and we could ruin our marriages.

What were the consequences for Adam and Eve and ultimately us? Pain in childbirth, a desire by the wife to oppose her husband and assert leadership over him, a desire by the husband to abandon his role of leading and guiding and caring for his wife and pursue "ruling" over his wife, a struggle for the husband to provide, and ultimately death.

We can see these struggles in the marriage relationships today still. But if we follow God's commands for marriage and strive to put away these sinful desires we can have strong, healthy, and Godly marriages. Those are the ones that are most fulfilling!

It was exciting to see how much I was able to learn in just the very first 3 chapters of my Bible in my journey to Paint my Bible Pink! Were they new things? No. But they are important truths that I need to apply to my life today and everyday!

The Journey Begins....

About a month ago, I attended a women's conference with my mother in law. The speaker was Elizabeth George who has written some of my favorite books - "A Woman After God's Own Heart", and "A Mom after God's Own Heart" to name just a couple.

I have never been very good at reading my Bible consistently, and she challenged us as "Women After God's Heart" to begin by simply going through and highlighting and making note of the passages dealing with women with a pink highlighter. I have been wanting to begin my journey for a little while now, but like I stated before, it is an area that I have always struggled in. I get too busy with other things, I can sometimes be lazy, or the day just gets away and then I am tired and once again, I have not been in my precious Bible like I needed to be.

So, I have decided to begin my journey and to also chronicle what I find each day as a way to keep myself accountable. Please, if I begin to skip some days contact me!! And feel free to ask me when I am going to write again. Let me know that you are behind me in my journey! Also, feel free to make comments below each entry, if you would like to add something, add it! If you have questions, ask them. If you just want to say something....say it! I am not an expert. Nor will I probably mention everything there is to mention. :)

The Christian life is not easy. It is not without its hard times. And just because I am a Christian does not mean I am perfect. I am still a lowly sinner saved by the Grace of God! I do not know what I will find on my journey, all I know is that it will be a journey worth taking because it will help me to grow more and more like a true woman after God's merciful and loving heart!