Recovering Eden

I was reading Newsweek last night after everyone was asleep and the house was quiet. I flipped through and read articles about Obama vs. Hillary vs. McCain, the impending economic crisis, the fuel shortage that now has scientists using bacteria to create fuel, and even people who travel around the world to eat food in hopes of satisfying their soul. Quite honestly, it's enough to make anyone feel depressed!

But as I was lying in bed thinking about it, none of this should be a surprise. All of these problems are a result of the Fall. The world just isn't right. We all know that. Just look at any of these national or global issues. Or just look at your own life--relationships with family and friends, sickness, divorce, financial troubles, etc. The world isn't right; life is difficult. And we can elect a new President, we can find a new fuel source, we can eat the most wonderful meal in the world, but none of that will satisfy our soul. We aren't made for this world. And all of these things should remind us of that and draw us closer to the only One who can satisfy our soul.

Jay read something a few weeks ago to me about how all the "progress" people have ever made in this world, from inventing a wheel to a computer, is simply trying to recreate Eden. We're trying to achieve that state where everything would work easily for us and our lives would be blissful. But that's not going to happen until Christ returns and redeems this world and we can see Him face to face. All of creation knows it (Romans 8: 18-25) but we sometimes forget it. We spend so much time trying to fix all of the problems here. Let's cure cancer, great--but people are still going to die of something. Let's only use anti-aging products on our whole bodies, great--but our bodies are still going to decay. Let's fix global warming, great--but Christ is making a new Earth. I'm not saying that we shouldn't worry about these things, but I think we get so easily distracted by them that we allow them to take our focus off the eternal.

So the next time you're listening to the news or reading a magazine, don't let it make you depressed. Let it be a reminder to you that one day it will all be made right again. And for that we have hope.