Mother of all the living

What do you see in this picture? It isn’t my style and wouldn’t have caught a second glance from me except for its title and secondly, for the expression on each of the faces. Each of these things pulled me deeper in.

Being mother to 7 is mostly kind of unusual in current western culture. It’s only a middle sized family among some of our friends but mostly when the number arises in conversation it causes a bit of a shock ripple. While I confess to quite loving that effect – the number doesn’t seem large to me. It is simply our normal.

If each of our kids has two kids, our descendants would number 21 in just one more generation. If those 14 grandchildren all had two kids, our descendants would then number 49. If our 7 had 7 each, there’d be 56 descendants and if those grandchildren had 7 each there’d be 350 descendants by our great grandchildren’s time. Which of course doesn’t include husbands/wives – which all combined – means the children of our union are NOT the sum total of our family. The potential is HUGE.

So our normal doesn’t seem large to me – until I factor in the growth potential – and until I pray.

Seven is then a REAL lot.

One day an odd little phrase came to mind. “Heather, mother of many” rattled about in my headspace which in turn took me to Eve who Genesis says was so named as she would become the “mother of all the living”.

“Eve – Mother of all the living”. Now THAT’S a big family.

When I pray for our kids I am gripped by my total love for each of them. The hugeness of all my desires for them, and the eclipsing of all of that with my one biggest desire for each. I am filled with the knowledge of my own failings… the missed opportunities, mistakes and sins, days I wish I could do over – and how all those things will have impacted each of them.

And I think of Eve and I sorrow for her.

I wonder how she stood under the burden of her actions – the ramifications for all generations to follow… did she crumple entirely?

So recently reading through Genesis, I went in looking for the way God dealt with her following their disobedience. We tend to focus on the fact they were removed and barred from the Garden of Eden; on the consequences for their sin and also on the promise of redemption through their descendants – but I was looking for Gods personal ministrations – because I relate to her and need His personal ministrations for me.

So I looked and I saw – that yes, the consequences came, they were not overlooked, given a second go, revoked or put on hold. The consequences came, but so did HE.

AFTER their sin, He came to the garden. He didn’t shout at them from afar. He didn’t turn His back. He came to the garden, Adam heard His footsteps and hid, but He came.

He came to meet with them.

He spoke personally to them.

He provided for their new needs.

He made promises.

He let them know that all was not lost.

And so Mary, descendant and daughter to Eve so many generations later, bears a son, THE Son, The Son of God, who can be the balm of acceptance and love and forgiveness as found in Mary’s face here – to all sons and daughters of Eve – just like me.

What do you see in this picture?