GOD'S LOVE
Once upon a time
There was a woman and a man.
They lived in the garden,
Enjoying life according to their Father's plan.
See, the Father loved them so much—
He gave them everything they needed.
They lived a worry-free life;
Not once did they feel aggravated or heated.
His only warning was to abstain
From the fruit of good and evil.
"When you eat of it, you shall die,"
The Father said to them, plain and civil.
The Father would come around from time to time
Just to see how things were going.
They were in charge of His garden, including the animals;
They lived the best life—see how much they were glowing.
But, as always in life,
Good things don't last forever.
One day they were enjoying life,
The next, things were severed.
The woman, as she was walking in the garden,
Saw a serpent resting in a tree.
Believing it to be a normal snake,
Not knowing it was an enemy there to steal her glee.
He spoke to the heart of the woman,
Offering things she could not refuse.
The beauty and wisdom the fruit appeared to hold,
Knowing once they ate it, they'd be accused.
The man's love for his wife was deeper than anything.
Knowing this, the serpent lured the woman to share.
After she took a bite, she gave some to her husband as well;
Soon they found themselves naked and bare.
Nakedness meant no longer being in communion with the Father.
They sewed fig leaves together to cover their skin.
But still the shame was unbearable—
Something later passed down to their kin.
A time came when the Father came for a visit,
Only to find they had disobeyed His command.
Calling out to them as they hid themselves,
Hiding behind the trees throughout the land.
The Father asked the man and woman where they were.
The man replied that they hid because they were afraid and bare.
The Father already knew what had happened,
Yet He called to them because of His care.
"Who told you that you were naked?"
The Father asked the man.
"Have you eaten from the tree I forbade?"
Thus began the reckoning of His command.
The man pointed his finger at the woman,
The woman pointed her finger at the snake.
No one wished to accept the blame
For the choice they freely chose to make.
The Father then turned to the serpent
And spoke concerning what would be.
For the sorrow he had brought into the world,
His future was clear to see.
"Upon your belly you shall crawl,
And dust shall be your food.
Distance shall stand between you and the woman,
For your actions were neither right nor good.
Between your seed and her Seed
A struggle shall surely arise.
You shall wound Him for a season,
Yet He shall triumph before all eyes."
Though consequences came that day,
The Father's love did not depart.
Even while correcting their wrongdoing,
He revealed the kindness of His heart.
For before He sent them from the garden,
He clothed their shame with garments made.
A picture of the sacrifice to come,
Showing the price that love would one day pay.
The woman heard the promise given,
A hope beyond her present grief.
That through her Seed would come a Savior,
Who would bring the world relief.
Generations passed and darkness grew,
Yet the promise remained the same.
The Father watched over every word,
Faithful to His holy name.
Then in the fullness of His timing,
The promised Seed at last appeared.
Born to save a wandering world,
The One whom darkness had long feared.
He bore our burdens and our sorrows,
The weight no one else could remove.
Displaying love beyond all measure,
Giving the greatest gift to prove.
And though He suffered for a season
Upon a cross of sacrifice,
The grave could not contain the Seed;
He rose again and brought new life.
The serpent's plans were overcome forever,
Just as the Father said they would be.
A testimony of unfailing love,
For all the world to hear and see.
So when I think of God's great love,
No words can fully explain.
For even when mankind had fallen,
His grace prepared redemption's plan.
Before the world could heal its wound,
Before humanity could even see,
The Father promised a coming Savior
And fulfilled it through the woman's Seed.