Today’s scripture: Genesis 2: 4b-24 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ciemone Easter-Rose):
My mother gave me my first Bible when I was in second grade. She didn’t tell me how to use it, or what it was for, but I imagined it contained great mysteries and answers to questions that I hadn’t yet fathomed–answers that I wasn’t sure I even wanted at the time. The first time I actually tried to read it, I was in the 6th grade. I was sparked by curiosity, and I guess I felt like I was finally ready to confront some type of “truth” in my life. I wasn’t sure about the stories I was told in Sunday school, and I wanted to check it all out for myself. So I started with Genesis–the beginning–because that’s where you’re supposed to start any book, right? And I thought: Here lies the answer to how and why I was created. It’s time to finally know.
Well, my first foray into the Bible pretty much began and ended with that book–especially when it came to the creation story. To this day, it remains both my most read and yet least understood story in the Bible. Ever since my first reading, questions have swelled in my mind about what the intent of the story was, and what it would mean for me if I was to take it literally–especially the second creation story. First of all, why are there two creation stories in the first place? And why does the second account seem to contradict the first account at times? And why did God put Adam in a garden with a tree that could kill him? And why did God try to find an animal as a helper to Adam before he created Eve? And why–? You can see where things started to spiral downward. You see, while I found the first creation story (Genesis 1) fairly palatable, my stomach churned when I read the second chapter of Genesis. Verses 22-25 particularly itched at me. I was old enough to know what “one flesh” meant, and I also didn’t appreciate the implication that woman came from man. By chapter 3 I was in complete despair, and I was fairly convinced that either God hated women or the story had to be a lie.
My initial reading of the Bible left me with only two feelings: fear and anger. Unfortunately, those sentiments also carried over into my relationship with God. Looking back, I find it odd that–while I had all of these questions and musings swirling in my mind–I never brought them to my mother. I simply stewed in them and questioned my own ability to connect with a God who seemed to operate in a way that, frankly, scared me. I didn’t have any faith in God at the time, so I didn’t seek God for the answers either. It wasn’t until several years later that I began to really get a sense of what God and the Bible had to offer to me. It was never the Bible itself that brought me closer to God (quite the opposite), but now it is a tool that I use to connect. While I wasn’t initially reachable through the Bible, God did find a way to reach me through other people. Through these people, I ultimately came back to the Bible, but with a new appreciation for it and all of its stories, even with all of my questions. In fact, my continued questioning of the Bible now helps me to better appreciate that God allows the freedom for me to question. I’ve been able to grow spiritually by going to God with these questions, as well as by discussing my questions with the people whom God has placed in my life. As a result, instead of getting angry or feeling afraid, I actually find myself more connected–and I feel almost as if God wants me to ask. I also recognize now that the questions that I have speak to who I am, and I always remember that who I am is reflective of whom God created me to be.
Thought/Question for the Day: There is nothing wrong with questioning. But how you question can make a great difference in the types of answers you receive. As James 1:5-6 states, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” Always remember to ask your questions in faith.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.