On my knees in the garden, I slowly turn the rich, fertile dirt with my hand shovel. The trees behind me are alive with an impromptu concert of birds singing their sweet songs. I hear the snap of a stick breaking and stop digging so that I can concentrate fully on listening. I close my eyes and remain still, with my back to the trees. A few more sticks snap as the Mama deer and her fawn draw closer to me. Our woods is their home during the summer, and I have come to know the sounds of the deer walking there.

I remain still and silent, with my back to the trees. Soon I hear the small warning snort from the Mama deer. She has spotted me in my garden. I hear the rush of their bodies running back through the woods and away from me. I smile as I think of their gentle beauty.

My thoughts turn then to you, Father, and the story of You walking in the Garden of Eden, looking for Adam and Eve:

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ He [the Lord God] said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’” Genesis 3: 8-13

A tragedy is unfolding there. You can hear the agony in God’s voice as He realizes that Adam and Eve have eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – the one tree from which He has forbidden them to eat. God has told Adam that if he eats from the tree, “you will surely die.” (Genesis 2: 15-17) As we know, later on, the serpent tricks Eve into believing that she will not die if she eats from the tree, but rather will become like God, “knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3: 1-6)

We are witnessing the fall of humanity in these verses.

But take heart and look closely again at the Scripture verses above in italics. These verses reveal that before the fall, the sound of God walking in the garden was familiar to Adam and Eve. They knew the sound of God’s footsteps and of His voice. Perhaps the three met in the garden every day, in the coolness of the early evening, to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. These verses undeniably reveal that in the beginning, God intended to have a direct and physical relationship with His creation. Let your heart contemplate this stunning reality for a moment.

Can you imagine hearing God’s footsteps drawing near to you? Or walking and talking with Him, outside among the trees and the birds, as the day closes? Can you imagine the sound of His voice? Or the sound of His laughter?

I treasure these verses in Genesis because they confirm that God wants a very personal and full relationship with us. He wants to love us and to be loved by us.

And yet from the very beginning of the Bible, within the Book of Genesis (the first book of the Old Testament), we are taught that the potential for love can only exist alongside the potential for rejection. True love can never be forced.

It is humbling to realize that even God – our Creator who forms us from the dust of the ground and literally breathes into our nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2: 7) – cannot force us to love Him. God has given us the gift of free will. Because of this, the choice between death and immortality is set before each one of us.

We must consciously choose to love – to love the Father, and to love one another.

God understands that we do not always make good choices. It is striking to observe that as soon as sin enters the world through Adam and Eve, God introduces His plan for the gift of redemption:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3: 15

For centuries now, Christian scholars and theologians have viewed this text as a foreshadowing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – and in particular, of Jesus’ victory over Satan. From that moment onward, the world’s faithful have lived with the hope and promise of redemption.

God loves us so much. Despite what must have been His immense sadness over the choices made by Adam and Eve, Genesis 3 concludes with these words:

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he has been taken. After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3: 21-24

I imagine tears streaming down God’s cheeks as he prepares some clothing for Adam and Eve. Shortly thereafter, God tells His beloved creation that they must leave the paradise He has created for them. After Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden, God then separates physically from His human creation. His daily walks and talks with Adam and Eve seem to end. The stories of the Old Testament testify to the agony of this self-imposed separation from God the Father.

And yet the promise and hope of redemption remains strong throughout the Old Testament. The ancient prophet Micah prophesies about God’s return to the physical earth, through His Son, Jesus:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5: 2

The return of Jesus to the earth fulfills God’s promises of love and redemption.

I am sitting now in my garden, with my eyes on the path that leads into the woods. The journey of life, while beautiful, is filled with choices. The world can be a confusing place and not all choices are simple and straight-forward. We must all watch for the little signs from Jesus that appear everywhere. We must listen for the words that the Holy Spirit places on our hearts. And if we find ourselves becoming distracted and slipping away from God, we must go running back to Him.

He is always, always there waiting for us and loving us deeply.

I am praying, for you and for me, that throughout our lives, we experience the grace of holiness and  love. I pray that at the end of our lives, we hear God’s footsteps quickening in the Garden, as He calls us each by name, to eternal life with Him.

I am forever grateful that we have Jesus to lead us home.

We are loved, deeply.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd

You are my trusted shepherd, Jesus, and because of this, there is nothing that I want. You prepare a resting place for me in green pastures and lead me beside quiet waters, and You restore my soul when I am sad and weary.

Jesus, you guide me plainly along the paths of goodness and light, and I follow you freely, for even the whisper of Your name brings me indescribable joy. I am not afraid, as I walk through the valley of darkness, for I know that You are with me; I am comforted by the knowledge that you will correct and guide me as I make my way.

You prepare a table before me, filling my heart with peace in the presence of those who would mock and hate me. You anoint my head with the finest of oil; my heart overflows with the knowledge of Your love for me. I am confident that your goodness and love will follow me, all the days of my life, and I long to dwell with you in Paradise, forever. Thank you for loving me, Jesus.

– Author’s adaptation of Psalm 23