eden work

so i am continuing to lean into asking questions from creation [see in the beginning post for a rough part 1]

how’s this for a biggie: what is my purpose?

i think everyone wonders this at a point and, whether we see it or not, culture and media are always contributing their opinions to this answer. but back to our creation picture. i made the argument that a Creator created creators. eden is a great model for what, not only, i am created to be, but what i’m created to do.

in creation story, God repeatedly put things in places. he brought order and separation – land and sky, sea and land, man and woman. the Great Organizer, if you will. he created differences to reveal beauty, “according to their kinds.” he then empowers adam to continue the “ordering” work with a little naming project. by naming the animals and species, adam is doing his own separation-of-kinds work.

ive already made the argument that creating with raw materials, working with the unfinished project God directly placed me into, is an element of the main human work we were designed to do. but to unpack it more, the OG eden work that was assigned was the ‘fruitful’ and ‘multiply’ bit.

is what i am putting my hand to generating something new and different - fruitful?

am i taking care of the eden i was entrusted with?

am i exercising dominion over the sphere of influence i am to bring order and ‘blooming’ to?

and if i am to care and protect eden – then what is eden?

a place of growth, flourishing, communion and connection.

pure nature. original beauty.

post fall this is tough. the beautiful garden is always just out of reach. the natural course of the universe is now towards chaos and decay – i see you, entropy – so our work is interjecting the inflection point. the inflection point shifts the trajectory, promotes growth and flourishing, restoring order and healing.

and that’s iterative.

it requires inputs.

or else we’re back to decaying.

remember the tables? building the tables and the bridges where that inflection point can collide with someone’s chaos, hurts, dirt, mess, hardships – and bring something fruitful from it. i’d say that’s worthy work to put my hands to and a purpose i can get behind.

bringing order to a chaotic world.

bringing healing to broken people.

what a gift to join in that.