Genesis 2:18, God decided man was no good alone, so He created woman.

The God of the universe chose to create a helper for His prize creation- man.  Eve could’ve been created out of dust as Adam had been. It may have been simpler for God to do what He had already done. However, God chose to take a part of Adam to create Eve-also creating an inseparable and inarguable bond between them. The symbolic nature of his well-thought creation brings new viable meaning to the “becoming one flesh” in marriage. It creates a biblical basis for a man and a woman uniting both physically and spiritually, creating a oneness only marriage can provide. Eve’s life was created from Adams body. He gave her a new life from his own, just as a new husband does for his bride on their wedding day. Adam was given Eve to be his helper- his lifelong mate. God intended it to be forever.

FOREVER.

God had already created the entire universe. He had plenty of imagination left to ensure the one he created in his image would not be alone. Adam had spent time in the garden caring for the naming of the animals and plants. He had been taking care of whatever the Lord required of him. Even surrounded by all this wonder, one wonders if Adam was lonely. Obviously God thought he needed a suitable mate- it says so in Genesis 2:20. Adam was probably busy, but he could see the animals all had mates, male and female. He trusted whatever plan God had for him.

Let us take a moment to reflect on the ease of being Eve. She had a perfect, beautiful husband, who did no wrong and adored her every move- we can assume this because the two of them up to this point were sinless- not knowing good from evil or even the existence of the two perspectives. She had run of the most gorgeous garden, which grew everything God had previously created.  Everything. She was in this beautiful garden, frolicking around with her perfect husband, enjoying all the Creator of the Universe had created.

Eve was in the garden. The Garden. The Garden of Eden.  Breathtakingly exquisite in every way. Beauty beyond description at every step. As a person who adores growing things and watching the miracle of life unfold, I cannot even imagine what this was like for her. And she had no idea. She spent her days bonding with her mate, walking about naming plants and animals. There were no weeds, only beautiful perfect blooms, plants, and trees.  I can imagine them laying on a tree branch, eating a piece of ripened fruit, sunbathing and talking about the Creator. Then He arrives, and they walk together, admiring all He has created, Adam holding Eves’ hand. As the moon rises and the sun sets he gets her settled for the evening and God says goodnight and disappears into the greenery around them.

They walked with him in the Garden every day. They had conversations with Him about his creation, his existence. They saw his face. They spent their time living for one another, and together, living for Him. Such a perfect way to live. One tree always catches Eve’s eye. The Tree– you know the one. The Tree of Knowledge. The grandest of all trees in the garden or otherwise, and the very perfect tool to hit the very first marriage right where it was most vulnerable. Trust and obedience to God, shattered by a moment of human weakness and loyalty to one another.

Picture with me this moment in your mind, created by everything we know about human nature. Eve is excited, nervous and imaginably so. She has always shared everything with her mate, so why not share this? Adam immediately knows this choice to partake of the one thing God warned them about is wrong. How does he tell Eve no? He has probably never had to do that. He treasures her so much, he cannot bear to tell her no. He doesn’t realize the consequence of his actions alongside her- God never had to prepare them for that. They didn’t know there was a good or evil. They just knew existence and love, responsibility for creation and obedience to God.

Adam and Eve were never the same. I’ve seen it written, “With great power comes great responsibility”. So true with power, and even more so with knowledge. Imagine all the knowledge of- well- of everything, rushing through your brain all at once. Imagine the sheer volume of things to know and thinking them one right after another. Imagine feeling the intensity of the new emotions of shame, regret, disappointment, and sadness. Imagine hiding from your Father, Creator, and Master, knowing everything now, things you didn’t know before, and knowing you can never go back to the way it was before your bad choice. Then you look over at your perfect husband in your perfect world and you realize the honeymoon is over.

God took care of clothing Adam and Eve, shortly after regrouping himself at the sheer disappointment of their disobedience. He then banished them from The Garden.  Adam would have to work the soil and fight to grow food. Eve would have pains like nothing else on this earth during childbirth, and the serpent would become her enemy forever- cursed for the mistake that was made.

The sadness God must have felt as he closed the Garden Gate behind them, placing a guard at the entrance. He created man in his own image, and to keep him from being lonely, created for man a perfect mate. The two of them were made to fit together like an intricate puzzle, handmade by the master craftsman. With the burden of discipline and promise, God had to keep his word and remove them from the garden, once knowledge of good and evil was obtained.

Before the happy couple was banished, before the fruit was eaten and nakedness discovered, God had made the marriage plan. A man and a woman became the living history in which all marriage is based upon. Biblical marriage became a sacred God blessed union to be taken seriously as a commitment like no other, except to the creator himself.

There are many scriptures that refer to marriage, including an entire book of the bible. When reading anything, a scripture that is God-breathed or a novel by an infamous author, one thing is clear- context is everything.  God set the marriage plan into motion the day Eve took her first breath. He put into practice the concept of oneness, the idea of commitment and the importance of a relationship with him as a couple. God has always had the best interest of man and woman at heart. After all, the Creator of the entire universe took time out of his master plan to breathe life into our bodies, so that we may find our perfect mate and live.

In Matthew 19:1-8 marriage is written as permanent.

In Gen 24:58-60 it is written as a commitment.

And in Genesis 2:24 it says, “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh”, thus completing the masterpiece of marriage God had designed so long ago. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this concept, and currently, the sanctity and security of marriage falter for some. Amid this faltering, those who do not understand the commitment or who see marriage as dispensable, do not understand those of us who view it as a forever decision.  This is where we struggle, and this is where we sometimes fall.

Having hope that our faith will get us through is sometimes not enough- marriage is hard work, and sometimes that means dealing with those who do not treasure our marriages as we do. Let’s uncover some of the reasons we struggle, and what we can do to hang on and strengthen the most important relationship God has given us, second only to the one we have with Him.