I’m on the verge of learning something incredible about God.
He’s been leading up to this for a while; I can feel it. At least, I hope I’m right.
My mom went back to school for a degree in counseling, and she needed someone to discuss a book with her: With. Yes, the title is only one word long. I’m a little judge-y about the author’s choice of words because, in my opinion, he’s trying a little too hard to be trendy. You don’t need to perform linguistic acrobatics to reach young Christians. But anyway, the basic idea of the book is that God doesn’t have an agenda other than being with us — hanging out with us — having a personal relationship with us.
It’s too good to be true.
But I think, maybe, it is.
Part of the book that really blew me away talked about God walking through the garden with Adam in Genesis. Suddenly it occurred to me that we don’t see many descriptions of Heaven in the Bible, and the ones we do glimpse are tough to understand because of the imagery and mystery. In the beginning, though, we find one clear and simple picture of what it should have been like between us and God. And the picture is this: God and mankind going for a walk in the garden together.
I don’t know if this hits you the way it gets to me because it seems so crazy, so unimaginable, that God would want to be with us like that. No goals. No needs. Just walking along together. And if that’s how things started out … then isn’t that where things are eventually headed again?
There are so many amazing implications about going for a walk in the garden with God because the experience will look a little different for everyone. Some people will want to talk to God, others to be quiet and simply look around in wonder. Still others will want to get to work, plowing the earth and making things grow, and He’ll enjoy every moment with every person. There’s a huge amount of garden to explore and so many thoughts to think and personalities to uncover and questions to ask, and all along He just wants to be with us.
It makes me want to cry. Not sure if you understand what I’m starting to grasp because I probably still have a lot more to unearth on this particular topic. God obviously does have goals and plans and a grand direction, an elaborate story to tell, but the end game is presented right there in the beginning of Genesis: going for a walk together. And what a walk it will be!
Love,
The Reluctant Bride
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think because this idea seems fragile in my heart, like I’m still struggling to believe it could really be true that God would want us. Do you agree?
The Reluctant Bride 
Makes me cry too! Seriously! He is so kind to us!
I’m seeing all over the place that the idea of “With” is intertwined with JOY and is really the purpose of the Word. And it is not exclusively with me and Jesus, it is with the Church and Jesus. Communion with God and the people of his kingdom. Just like communion is not meant to be a solitary act of worship but a community act, so is WITH, from what I can see so far.
“…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:3
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11
I love this, Marie! Gonna chew on what you wrote for a while.
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Love this continuation of the concept!! Not just with Jesus but with His people, too. All of us in the garden together. Thank you!!
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