“The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. … And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” -Genesis 2:9b & 16-17

We all know what happened.

The temptation came.

The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was eaten.

The consequences fell, and the man and the woman were removed from the garden so that their hand would not stretch out and eat of the tree of life in their fallen state and therefore live eternally fallen.

But did you catch the thing that happened before? Before the temptation? Before taking of the forbidden tree?

The tree of life was freely available!
ONLY ONE TREE was prohibited.

Somehow, mentally, I have always just lumped the two trees in the middle of the garden together. Because the tree of life was off-limits after the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was experienced, I have always just unthinkingly considered that it was off-limits the whole time.

But that’s not the truth.

Part of the experience of living in the perfection of the garden, walking in the cool of the day with our Creator, was also free access to the fruit of the tree of life.

Y’all.

They knew what life full and abundant tasted like. They knew its flavor. Its texture. They knew its scent and its color. They knew what it was to reach out, pluck it from the tree, and partake. Life: abundant, free, and there for the ready consumption of those for whom it was created.

What great loss when they were cut off from it. Can you imagine? The horror of experiencing aging, sickness, and withering of the bodies no longer sustained by that life-giving tree? They did surely die. Spiritually when cut off from their Creator and physically when cut off from that tree.

What great joy, then, when Jesus presents Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In every way possible, what was lost in Genesis 3 is found in Him. Access to the Creator, restored relationship, life in all of its abundance, beauty, color, and flavor.

The beauty of the restoration that Jesus brings never ceases to take my breath away. Praise our loving Creator who not only protected us from condemning ourselves to endless life in a fallen state, but who also made a way for us to be forgiven, restored, and made fit once more for access to life abundant, free, and satisfying through Jesus!

One-hit wonders.

One-note people.

Society looks down on artists and people who hit the same note, who sing the same refrain over and over again. Repetition is undesirable in the face of variety and novelty. Simplicity and clarity is overlooked in favor of awe-inspiring complexity.

I can’t help but think that all the noise and dazzling display of intricately woven schemes and ever-more-preposterous displays is designed to hide the emptiness at the core.

I can’t help but wonder if we, believers in Jesus Christ, followers of The Way, have traded the beautiful, weighty simplicity that He offers for something more eye-catching yet vacuous.

Jesus boiled whole books of law and prophecy down to two commands: Love the Lord your God and Love your neighbor.

Jesus welcomed the simple, earnest, joyful faith of children.

Jesus healed sick people and fed hungry people.

Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m with you.”

Every story. Every parable. Every account of where He walked and what He said. The same refrains over and over.

In the same way, the disciple and apostle Peter, when writing his 2nd letter, said in verse 12: “I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder…and I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.”

So, maybe…

When we find ourselves recounting the same truths that have dug deep into us…

When we recognize repeated themes in our lives of what God is saying…

We would do well to embrace them rather than despise them.

Knowing that Jesus kept it simple and repeated Himself. His disciples kept it simple and repeated themselves.
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If we’re simple, clear, and continue to repeat refrains of Truth, we stand in good company. 

I know that I’ve crossed the 50-year-old mark because I find that many sentences now begin with the dreaded, “When I was your age…” or “When WE were dating/getting married/going to college/insert life stage here…”  Rather than fighting that, I’m going to lean into it. So here goes:

When Dan and I were first married, we were broke. I’m hearing a lot of 20-somethings now talking about the awful economy that they are inheriting and the restrictions that it is placing on their lifestyles, ability to even consider marriage, homeownership, etc. I’m not contesting that reality at all. The economic burden on them is harsh.

What I will offer, however, is the wisdom of someone who has been there; much as my grandparents who lived through the Depression offered to us!

If you’re that young thinking-of-becoming-married or newly married couple, in the 20-something range, struggling to work 2 jobs each and still make time for one another, may I encourage you? Set down your preconceptions of what connecting with your spouse needs to look like.

Your generation has grown up more inundated with media presence and expectations than any previous. You have daily shifting trends to keep up with and your weddings frequently consist of multiple layers of pre-parties and yes-to-the-dress events and websites and registrations and save-the-dates and invitations and aesthetic venues and the list goes on. Let it go.

Your marriage is ultimately a covenant between the two of you and God. It is deeply intimate and simple and for a lifetime. Do the things that build that, not your front-facing social presence.

Among the most lasting memories and tender moments that Dan and I share are the things that cost us little to nothing except time and intention:

• Praying together. You say things in prayer, both looking at God, that are uncomfortable to share even between the two of you. Next-level intimacy here.

 

• Prioritizing doing something together over owning something. Walks along the shorefront, visiting local parks, taking a drive, all cost barely anything. If we’re going to spend, we’d rather spend on gas money to go explore a place than purchasing a dust-collector for our home. Don’t get me wrong; I like beautiful things…but in the end, they’re just things.

 

• Going to the store together and “exchanging cards” from the greeting card aisle that “I’d totally buy for you if I was willing to spend that much on paper!” Sometimes sentimental, sometimes exceedingly silly, it always helped us to say things to one another.

 

• Cooking meals together as often as you can. The conversation over chopping vegetables and enjoying the tastes and smells of even simple food creates an appreciation for co-laboring and simple pleasures that begins to spill over to other areas of life.

 
You are right. The economy is hard. You can’t easily or readily achieve all that the extensive media machine has told you that you must have in order to have a successful, aesthetic, well-appointed life. But you can absolutely take what you do have, commit it to God and each other, and allow Him to multiply it into a richer and fuller life than you imagined possible.