Chapter 1 - Restored to Original
My initial quest to seek the Lord about what pregnancy and birth were like before sin, and how to have that kind of birth experience today, has continued throughout the years. Obviously, it didn’t happen by chance or just divinely fall on you by sole merit of being a believer, as I’d personally seen and heard of many scenarios, among believers and unbelievers, that were definitely not Eden-like.
While the absence of fear, as God said, is the master key, I’ve learned there are many elements that play into creating and cultivating that type of environment.
Everything God created and designed is good (Genesis 1:31), and has an original intent. One of my increasingly favorite definitions of the word faithful is “true to the original”. In order to be true, or faithful, to the original design and purpose of God for us in birth, we need a deep understanding of what that was and always has been. We have to go back to the beginning to get an accurate, clear picture of what a fear free, Eden birth environment looks like.
The conditions and atmosphere of Eden were God’s original and unchanging intent for humanity. This was a place and time where things were as He actually wanted them to be for people. Eden was saturated with the presence of Love Himself. There was no fear because there was no sin, nor curse, nor any hurtful consequences brought on by sin. Perfect love left no room for fear. There was no sorrow because there was no separation between God and mankind. It was an atmosphere of perfect peace, meaning nothing was missing and nothing was broken or nonworking. It was also an atmosphere full of joy, not just seriousness and somberness, because in the presence of God there is fullness of joy! (Psalm 16:11)
The very word Eden means “pleasure, luxury, and delight”. We usually think of it as the place of man’s pleasure, and rightly so, because the presence of God produces pleasure. “At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11 NKJV) However, just as much so, it was also a place of God’s pleasure. According to Genesis 1:31 (NASB), His creation gave Him pleasure. “God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good.” Eden was a place where humanity had unbroken fellowship and relationship with God, meaning they fully trusted and believed Him. Clearly that also gave Him untold pleasure, because according to Hebrews 11:6, our faith is what pleases Him! What’s more, in Eden, mankind prospered in every way and area - spirit, soul, and body - which is the complete embodiment of the word prosperity. Psalm 35:27b (NKJV) says, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” He absolutely loved to see His children living in His perfect, original plan for them. Eden was pure pleasure for both God and man!
In this luxurious and delightful place, only meeting basic needs like nourishment, water, shelter, and clothing (they were clothed with God’s glory), was not good enough for God. He also wanted to give them pleasure through beauty. Genesis 2:9 (NASB), “Out of the ground God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food.” (emphasis mine) God created beauty for us to enjoy! Beauty matters to Him because He knows how it ministers to us. It’s also a glimpse of Heaven on earth. II Chronicles 3:6 and Exodus 28:2 speak of how the house of God was decorated for beauty, and the clothing of the priests was designed for beauty. That which ministers to you through your senses is also an important part of the Eden atmosphere. It wasn’t ugly, cold, sterile, and uncomfortable. Interestingly, I’ve heard people say they chose a birthing location based only on pictures they saw. Because it was so beautiful and inviting, they thought, “That is the kind of place I want to have my baby!”
