RELATIONSHIPS, THE GARDEN, AND THE NEW CREATION
Engraving by Ephraim Moshe Lilien, 1901. Accessed on Wikimedia.
Relationships & The Garden
Relationships. We all have them. Whether they be relationships with family, friends, co-workers, or those with whom we minister, they have an impact on our life. Relationships should be built on trust and love. This type of relationship is what we aspire to and desire. According to the creation account in Genesis 2, God saw that it was not good for the man to be alone, and so God created the woman out of the man’s rib. From that relationship came intimacy with one another, and along with this came intimacy with God, their Creator. There was no shame or hurt or need to dominate. All was as it should be.
But then, according to the account in Genesis 3, all of this was marred by humanity’s desire to become like God and not trust God’s plan for them. Humanity fell, and as a result, relationships fell as well. Rather than seeing one another as equals, men would come to dominate women. Shame and hiding would enter into relationships rather than openness and vulnerability. Instead of using their hands to protect and care for one another, people would abuse, hurt, and neglect one another.
Relationships in the World
I have seen the impact of the Fall in the lives of those I worked with as I pursued my master’s in clinical mental health counseling while in seminary. I was able to help those who had come from or were experiencing broken relationships. These broken relationships came about for many different reasons: their parent’s divorce, abusive relationships with significant others, the tension in marriage caused by issues from the past, or trauma from childhood. It was my responsibility in each of these situations to speak life and hope into people’s lives and work alongside them to facilitate healing so that they could thrive and heal from the wounds caused by these broken relationships. I listened to their stories and allowed them to express the pain that was bottled up for years. In counseling, there is what is called the “counselor/client relationship” in which rapport is built, and trust forms. It is through that relationship that healing can begin, as the client begins to trust the counselor or therapist enough to open up and share what is going on in their lives. It was during this time that I learned the importance of Galatians 6.2, in which Paul the Apostle says to the church in Galatia, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (NRSV). I was able to bear the burdens of those who had broken relationships and help them along the journey toward healing in their lives. Though they may not have always been able to restore those broken relationships – in some cases it was not wise, or even safe, to do so – they were at least able to begin healing in their own lives.
Relationships and the New Creation
New creation. Something about it just makes my heart sing and my soul dance. Maybe it’s the thought of no more pain, no more death, and no more weeping. Perhaps it’s because after coming face to face with so much pain and hurt in the lives of others, I know that one day all of that will be wiped away. Gone. Forever. Revelation 21.3-4 tells us, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (NRSV). Imagine that. Imagine a world where all things have been made new. Imagine not having to face grief and pain anymore. All of this will belong to us when Christ returns in his glory to take his rightful place as King. He will set all things right again, taking us back to the way things were in the garden of Eden when there were wholeness and goodness in all things.
This passage in Revelation applies to relationships in many ways. From this passage, we see that in the new creation, the relationship between God and humanity will be restored. God will finally dwell with humanity once again, as was God’s original intention. Humanity will no longer have to hide from God because of sin but will be able to fully embrace God in all of God’s fullness without shame or fear.
I wonder what the new creation means for human relationships with one another. Does it mean that we will never remember the things that people have done to us that have caused us hurt and pain and tears? Does it mean we will just “forgive and forget”? What if the pain was so deep that we could not reconcile with those who hurt us? I’m not sure what the healing of human relationships will look like in the new creation. Perhaps it will look like not allowing what people have done to us impact how we see them. Maybe we will not see those who have hurt us as horrible human beings, but rather as those who are also created in the imago Dei and as such treated with dignity and respect. Maybe like Jesus, we will still carry the scars of the pain our relationships have caused us into the new creation, and let them serve as just that, scars, reminders of what we went through and how we were able to overcome. Perhaps the healing of human relationships in the new creation will look like finally being able to be vulnerable with those around us, not hiding in shame or guilt because of the past.
Conclusion
Relationships began in the Garden of Eden with intimacy between God, humanity, and the natural world. The Fall of humankind marred all of that, and it brought blame, shame, and pain into those relationships. Humanity would blame one another for wrong, and hurt one another rather than protect, care for, and heal. I have encountered the effects of the Fall in human relationships as a counselor. I have seen what broken relationships can do to human beings. They can cause anxiety, depression, anger, and hurt. What I have to ask myself is: What will these relationships look like in the new creation? Will all of the hurt and pain simply be no more, as it says in Revelation 21? I believe this will happen, though I cannot imagine how.
What I do know is this: God can reconcile all relationships, and perhaps in the new creation, we will be able to view those who have wronged and hurt us as those also created in the image of God. Maybe even though we may still carry the scars of what people have done to us, physically or mentally, we will allow the wounds to show us and others how we were able to overcome. In the end, I hope that we will all be healed, so that we can be all that God intended for us to be.
