Older and Wiser

Growing up is hard. Even though I've technically been "grown up" for awhile now, I've lately been facing more adult-like issues, and it is not fun. I just started a book called Bad Girls of the Bible. The first woman discussed is Eve, the original bad girl, the first to sin. She was an innocent who didn't even know what evil was. Genesis 3:7 says that her eyes, along with Adam's, were opened. They were opened after disobeying God and giving in to the temptation of the serpent. Thus far, the couple had lived in a perfect paradise. Then their eyes were opened to shame, to pain, to grief, to death. As I get older, I think I can relate more to Eve, what she was, and then what she felt when her eyes were opened. My eyes have been opened these last few months to grief, ranging from a lost pregnancy to facing the decline of a beloved and cherished grandparent. I think back to childhood days when life was not so weighty. I imagine that some of Eve's pain involved remembering what perfection was and then having to face the reality of their new world. I, by no means, claim that I've seen it all. I know for certain that if I had this conversation with an elderly person, they would tell me that I had a long way to go on life's road. I do, but growing up is hard.