From Genesis to Now: Hope

Dear Christa—

In the time of grief, in the time of change and heartache, there is nothing quite like a baby to give one hope.

“And she [Eve] gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel.”

Tragedy is unexpected. Tragedy hurts. Tragedy makes us think of God.

I have often wondered how through all those hundreds of years that the first couple lived, did Eve look at her reflection in the water with regret. We all live with regret. Not one of us is perfect. Not one of us can hold up a clean slate. That’s exactly why we need a Savior and exactly why Jesus came. He came to clean our slate.

It’s true that Eve had to live with her sin, one immensely worse than any we’ve committed—the fall of the entire human race. But, Eve knew something else; she knew that God was true. He said that to eat of tree would bring death. He said she would bare children in pain. He said He would send a Savior.

I’ve seen two babies born—the firstborn of our daughters. (Now, I’ve been relegated to babysitter.) It’s an interesting experience for a mother to see a daughter become a mother. And after the pain, there is joy.

A new baby brings joy. A new baby brings hope. I’ve watched my grieving mother caress baby Helen, and there was joy in the midst of pain. There is just something wonderful about a baby. A baby puts the focus on life, not death.

So, Eve gave thanks when Seth was born. Perhaps she’d thought the Savior would come through the line of Abel. He did not. He came through Seth—the child of hope.

Tragedy is unexpected. Tragedy hurts. Tragedy makes us think of God. And God gives us hope.