It appears that most of us have forgotten how far removed from Eden we are. We have developed some sort of mental defense against the hard realities of life. The Garden is gone, submurged long ago, by the flood of Noah's day. In reality, even in Noah's day the Garden had been long gone, lost in a single bite. Since the exile of Adam and Eve, humanity has been yearning to return to Eden. Many have tried to establish earthly paradises, but all fail. The utopias dreamed of by so many are so quickly spoiled by human nature. We are fallen creatures, living in a fallen world. We need more than a helping hand, we need total transformation. The only way to be transformed is to turn from sin and to trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Utopia, even on a small scale, is a human impossibility. Yet, as the church gathers to worship and serve her Lord, it is possible for us to glimpse heaven from earth. Every believer who draws closer to God is at the same time drawn closer to other believers. A. W. Tozer said something like, "One hundred pianos tuned to the same tuning fork will be more intune with each other than if they had been tuned to each other." The reality is that if I am truly close to God and you are truly close to God, we must also be truly close to each other. Our focus must always be on the Lord. He alone is able to bring us to a place of unity. As the Spirit works Christ's character out into our lives, he enables us to reflect the glory of Lord, in our obedience and his grace, in our restorations.
If we are not careful to remind ourselves of the reality that Eden is lost, then we might be overcome by frustrations as our goals and dreams fail to materialize. I don't mean to sound negative. Christ's kingdom is a guaraunteed reality, but it has not been established on the earth, yet. Until Jesus establishes his earthly kingdom, we must temper all of our expectations in light of what the Scriptures state (Matt. 5:11-12; 10:24-25, 34-39; John 16:33; 1 Pet. 5:12-19).
This reality should influence our understanding of all the areas of life. When if comes to parenting, we need to realize that our children are not going to become (nor are they already) perfect people. They, like us, are sinners in need of salvation. Mistakes will be made, milk will be spilled, but Christ can empower us to raise up redeemed people through faithful gospel-teaching and cross-centered living. Work is part of the created order. Adam had a job when all things were declared "very good." But, we should not be defined by our job. Our chief purpose in life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Yet, if we define ourselves by our job, we will fail to achieve our greatest purpose. In marriage, the husband and wife are to cherish each other over all others, except the Lord. Yet, no marriage is perfect, sometimes affections shift. But again, we cannot be defined by our earthly relationships.
My point is that marriage, parenting, work, friendship, play, and other areas of life should not be our ultimate concern, nor should we allow ourselves to believe that there is such a thing as "perfection" or "utopia," to be found in any of them. When I say that they are not our ultimate concern, I mean that we should seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matt. 6:33). When I say that there is no perfection or utopia, I do not mean there is not great joy to be found in these life pursuits. I mean that we will continually be going before the Lord seeking forgiveness and reconciliation, because we are sinners in a fallen world. Every life area is a means, appointed by God, through which we can acheive our greatest end: to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
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