Musings of Adam, the First Man

Calling it a loss would have been the biggest understatement I have heard since my creation. To call it a total loss, on the other hand, I knew would not be true. The Almighty promised that one of Eve’s children would rise to undo everything that we had done when we ate that fruit. I know deliverance will come eventually. The Almighty has said so, and I know He does not lie. With my newfound experience, I now understand better what deceit and evil look like. I know my God is nothing like that. The savior that He promised would redeem us will arrive; of that, I am sure.

Still, I cannot say that this has all been painless, even with the knowledge of the coming redeemer. Eve and I exchanged everything we could have ever wanted for a lie, and that lie got us evicted from Eden. It stung to watch Michael return to the Father after our last conversation when we were expelled from the garden, but I believe that we will see him, and all those who remained with God, again, once the time comes. But watching him leave, not knowing just how long our separation would last, took its toll. The memories of that wonderful place and the pain of being removed from it still stick with me, and I don’t imagine myself forgetting them anytime soon.

I make constant mental reminders to teach my future children the lesson that I had to learn the hard way: “to obey is best, And love with fear the only God, to walk as in his presence, ever to observe His providence, and on him sole depend” (Paradise Lost 12.561-564). I shared the same words with Michael when we last spoke. I plan on making those some of the last words I’d leave my children with. I say ‘last’ because a new…thing has entered the world after what Eve and I did. God called it ‘death.’

The idea that one day Eve and I will both stop living is still fairly new to me. The strangest part of it is that this end to life was brought into the world when we ate that fruit. I cannot shake the unpleasant thought that we let this thing loose in God’s creation, but the promise gives me hope. I may have let death into this world, but the savior to come will bring life (New International Version, Rom. 5:18). I believe this, and dwell on it constantly, that the knowledge of the promise would be preserved in my mind. I believe God will keep His promise, regardless of what those who come after Eve and me believe. Still, I can try to teach my descendants why they need to obey, love, and worship the one true God.

The campfire Eve and I set up earlier is fading. My wife has long since fallen asleep and I need to get my own rest. Tomorrow is a new day, and there are things to be done. I have to work for my own food now, after all.

Works Cited

Milton, John. “Book XII.” Paradise Lost. N.p.: Global Language Resources, 2001. N. pag. Print. New International Version. Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2003. Print.