Leaving Eden

Last week, I talked about the unmistakable hold of Satan’s power over our lives and the incredible deliverance that comes from salvation in Christ.  Innocence was lost that day in the Garden of Eden when sin entered the world, and we can’t change that reality.  Only God can take our lives and mold us into the people he wants us to be despite the negativity that has entered the world.

The list is endless: headlines that scream of injustice and scandal, TV and news stories that focus on the evil and disparity present in society, health concerns, destruction of property from natural disasters, memory loss, hiding faith to maintain job and position, robberies, and I could go on and on.  The truth is, we live in a fast-paced, egocentric culture where innocence is taken in seemingly the blink of an eye. 

I was reminded of this when I attended a concert by singer/songwriter, Brandon Heath last fall. Brandon’s most recent album opens with the track “Leaving Eden,” in which he contemplates the very things I mentioned above.  Near the end of the song the lyrics proclaim: “It’s like I’m further away with every step that I take, and I can’t go back.”  It is clear he is lamenting the loss of innocence and simplicity in the world today and longing for a time when everything was as it should be. 

During his concert tour,Brandon posed this question from the stage: What is your Eden?  He gave the audience a moment to reflect on the question and then proceeded to share his response.  He told of summer afternoons at his grandparents’ home when life was simple and lacked the drama that surrounded his family.  At that time, his parents were in the process of getting a divorce, but in his grandparents’ backyard, Brandon was protected from everything that was at stake.

When I considered my Eden, I knew it had to be my childhood bedroom in the house my parents built in the country.  I wrote my first song in that bedroom and hosted my very first slumber party.  When my best friend from California came back to Wisconsin for a visit, I remember talking late into the night about everything and nothing all at the same time.  And then there was the rare occasion when friends came to visit and we would sneak a few freshly baked cookies up to my room to enjoy whenever Mom made her yummy Monster Cookies.  My childhood best friend, Kirsten, loved those cookies— probably more than I did— and the sweet treat is also a sweet memory of innocent days gone by.

Just last week, I hosted a Tupperware party at my home, and a friend brought a batch of Monster Cookies to share with everyone.  But these weren’t just ordinary Monster Cookies; they were made so I would be able to eat them.  You see, just shy of two years ago, I was diagnosed with an egg white allergy, so cookies, cakes, muffins, etc. are not something I can often enjoy unless prepared with alternatives.  I had not tasted a Monster Cookie for years— probably not since graduating high school and certainly not since being diagnosed with the egg allergy.  Let me tell you, that first taste of the cookie was enough to bring on a sudden swell of memories.  Just one taste, and I was back in my Eden; I was home. 

“I’m going home… there’s no place like home when you’re leaving Eden,” Brandon’s lyric continues, and it’s so true.  But if I can dissect the lyric a little bit, I think he is talking about an eternal home here.  As we go about our daily lives, we are continually surrounded by negativity and even spiritual warfare.  Innocence is lost, but our promise of eternity is not tarnished.  There may not be such a thing as Eden here on Earth, but Heaven is our eternal home and there is nothing that could ever mar the perfection of the Eden that is surely like no other. 

So keep your eyes on the Eternal Eden, friends, for in this world, there is no greater promise!