There's something about Eve...

I recently was part of a leadership team that led a Women's Retreat at the beautiful Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley, AZ. We talked about brokenness and redemption and we talked a bit about Eve. There's something about Eve that is a bit uncomfortable.

I'll be honest, Eve has always been a bit of a touchy subject for me.

I mean, really, is she the root of all evil? Is she the reason I cannot grow a plant to save my life, I don't always agree with my husband and childbirth really, really hurt?

Or, does Eve just get a bad rap because she happened to be first in line to taste the fruit, which oh by the way, most likely was a pomegranate and not an apple...(pomegranates are more prolific in the Middle East where the Garden of Eden most likely was)

What is Eve guilty of doing? Taking a bite of fruit and then offering it to Adam? What's the big deal?

It seems that the big deal was that Eve wanted more...

Eve wanted more than what God had promised them. God had promised Adam and Eve an abundant life - a life filled with communion with God.

But Eve wanted more...

Eve wanted control.

Eve wanted to decide for herself what was good, what was bad. Eve did not want to be told what to do. Eve wanted power.

As I have studied Eve, I have started to realize that Eve is me. I do not like to be told what to do. I like to have control of my destiny. I often find myself saying, "God, you want me to go this way? Well, today I have different plans. But, thanks for checking in. Maybe tomorrow I will follow your plan, but today that doesn't really fit in my agenda."

Eve stopped trusting God and His promise. Eve leaned on her own understanding instead of trusting that God knew what was best for her.

Eve's sin was unbelief.

Aargh. Like all biblical truths, that truth hits close to home. When we, like Eve, stop believing God and His goodness and we instead rely on our own understanding, bad things happen - bad things way worse than my not being able to grow a single living thing in a garden. (which I do still blame Eve for).

We may not always know why God does the things He does, afterall His ways are not our ways. But I think we can take it from Eve, God's ways are always the best ways.