Revisiting the Garden

“So the LORD sent him away from the garden of Eden…He drove the man out…” Ge 3:23-24

When I was a young girl my parents built a home out in the country.  It was a beautiful Georgian type architecture with a balcony and columns.  I loved that house and as far as I know most of my friends who visited me loved it too.  The property was thick with beautiful trees that we played hide and seek behind.  The patio on any given summer day was filled with beach towels, 70’s music blaring through the air along with the aroma of baby oil.  The trampoline stood guard to our right while Daddy’s grill was positioned to our left.  The memories of this place go on and on.  However, circumstances occurred which led to our departure of this home.  For many years I dreamed of this home, grieved for this home and fantasized about someday having the money to purchase it.  When returning to Lancaster I would even ride by our former property.  It was really an unhealthy emotional desire.  But that is what happens when we look backwards longing for a kinder time…a simpler time…our ‘garden of Eden’ time.

I wonder if Adam and Eve once they departed their garden could still see it in the distance? I wonder if on tough days they found themselves on their tiptoes trying to catch a view of its beauty.  I wonder if like me they continually reminisced about their time in the garden and how perfect it was.  How many times did they replay the final scene in their mind that led to losing the only perfect time in their lives? 

We all have memories of wonderful past times in our lives…times when we were flying high in our careers…times when the children were young, and life was simple... times when there were no empty chairs around our table. Our gardens hold so many backdrops of perfect holidays and exciting vacations.  I believe it is okay to revisit our gardens, but with a heart of deep gratitude fully understanding that everything good in our lives comes from our Father.  Anything that made our gardens perfect will be restored when we take our final breath.  When we look backwards in gratitude we can live forward in hopeful expectation of returning to a perfect garden.  Whatever has been lost on earth will be found in Heaven.  Whatever justice was not realized in this world will be justified in the next.  Our sadness and loss of today will be replaced with joy and celebration of forever tomorrows.  We don’t have to dream about returning to a perfect time…through Christ it is a promise.