Eve- What Happened?
Eve was given to the world as a beautiful, life-saving lover, full of mercy and strength! She was inviting, alluring, captivating.

Do we see many women in the world like this today? Why do many of us feel the complete opposite? Why is it that even when relationships are good, there is still this bottomless pit that says it's still not enough?

Many of us are just plain tired, our lives are filled with routine, chores and deadlines. Efficiency has taken the place of adventure for a lot of us.


A Woman's Deepest Question

Most women doubt that they have any genuine beauty to unveil. We tend to either strive for beauty or feel we should simply resign. New diets, hair color, outfits, work outs, something new to work on in our life, new discipline. These are not all bad things to strive for, but when that becomes our driving passion to feel beauty and it fails, we feel we ourselves have failed and feel we might as well resign.

We as women are usually the hardest on ourselves, we judge ourselves every time we pass by a mirror. We are more aware of our shortcomings than anyone else.

Every little girl, and every little boy is asking the same question, but in different ways, we all want to know if we have what it takes? Little girls want to know, am I lovely? It's why we twirl in our skirts for our daddies, play dress-up, anything to capture attention.

Why is this question still sought after so much?


The Fall of Eve

In the beginning man and women were both innocent (Gen. 2:25). But, something dreadful happened that we are reaping the results of every day of our lives. Thankfully we can also learn the chances given to us every day to reverse what happened!

You see Eve's stumbling block was that she was so easily convinced that God was holding out on her. Convinced that she couldn't trust His heart toward her. Convinced that in order to have the best possible life, she must take matters into her own hands. How often I fall prey to this same lie.


The Curse

Gen. 3:16-18. You need to look closely into the curses here to fully gain understanding of our life's struggles today. You see Adams curse wasn't simply dealing with thorns and thistles, but more describing the daily grind men go through. Fear of not measuring up enough, fear of failing, not being able to provide. Failure is a man's worst fear.

Eve also can not be limited to simply pain in childbirth, that would let all the single ladies off the hook:) No, women is cursed with loneliness, with the urge to control, and with the dominance of men.

As women we often shy away from feeling vulnerable. At times we are far from inviting, we are guarded. A lot of our energy is spent trying to hide our true selves, and control our worlds to have some sense of security.


Dominating Women

Fallen Eve controls her relationships, she refuses to be vulnerable, protecting her heart against being hurt.

Controlling women are those who don't trust anyone else to drive their cars, help in our kitchens, speak at our retreats or meetings, carry something for us.

We are often the ones who receive the promotion, plan the perfect birthday parties, Martha Stewart perfectionist types.

Yet, we have never considered that by living a controlling and domineering life, we are really refusing to trust our God!


Desolate Women

These are the types ruled by the aching within them. They are consumed with a hunger for relationship. Sadly though, we tend to hide our true selves. We are certain if others truly knew us, they wouldn't like us. Hiding women are those of us who never speak up in meetings, pass by a beautiful dress in a store window, knowing we could never pull it off. We stay busy at gatherings rather than enter the conversations, we dismiss every compliment, we relinquish decisions to others.

We tend to hide behind our make-up, our humor, angry silence or punishing withdrawals. We hide our truest selves. And so by hiding, we take matters into our own hands. We don't turn to our God with our broken and desperate hearts.


Indulging

Whether we tend to dominate and control, or withdraw and hide, or maybe a little of both, the ache remains.

So, we buy ourselves something nice, we read something, watch something, eat something, daydream, find some kind of substitute that might work for awhile to fill that ache, but nothing ever truly fills us. These are what we give our hearts away to instead of giving them to the heart of God.

We don't need to be ashamed of our hearts ache; that we need, hunger and thirst for much more. It is our unquenchable need for more that drives us to our God!!


Eve's Lingering Fear

Women's worst fear is fear of abandonment. That we will be left alone. This is a lie and we need to see it for that. We need to stop substituting our aching with things that don't last and fall more and more in love with our Creator who loves us and gave Himself for us, that we could be free!! He loves us with such a passion, and there is never any real reason for us to feel alone. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and He is with us always! Psalm 139.