Exiles & Aliens
We live in a world that is desperately attempting to find peace and satisfaction. There are many folks who point to the ills of society and indicate that if only we can fix "this," all will be good. Former President Obama made a speech about ten years ago and said that racism is the great cancer that plagues our society. Karl Marx wrote that mankind is oppressed economically. Famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud said that mankind struggles psychologically. Others say that the world’s great problem is sociological. The truth is that God would respond to all these observations by agreeing that these are all parts of mankind’s dilemma.
The truth of the matter is that we all are exiles and aliens. God made human beings to live in perfect fellowship with Him. The first two people, Adam and Eve, were created by God to live in a wonderful place called the Garden of Eden. In this garden, there was no death. There was no suffering. All things were good, wholesome, and right in the beginning. In the Garden, man was given work to do; this allowed man to exercise his creative gifts. Man found real satisfaction in such work. In the Garden, God spoke with man. God’s counsel reached the farthest depths of man’s mind and soul. Peace and contentment came from such words and counsel. In the Garden, God’s love was shared, felt, and cherished. This met the greatest and deepest need of man. No love can satisfy like the love of God.
The problem with all of us is that we have an innate remembrance of the Garden. Before you call the authorities and have me locked up as crazy, consider this thought: While only Adam and Eve lived in the Garden with God, an imprint has been left on all mankind ever since. What else can explain the feeling that every individual senses? We live in this world, yet we have an urge for someplace else. We have a desire for something that we cannot accurately describe. Freud calls this a “God-shaped void” in the heart of every human being. Could it be that we remember (in the depths of our souls) the Garden, even though we have never been there? We remember what life should be at the feet of God. We crave the beauty, we desire the love, knowledge, and wisdom that is only found in the presence of God. We long for a time when there was no death or suffering. We know that we have never really seen such a place, yet a place like this does exist. That is why our hearts desire more than what we see in this world.
The human condition can be described in three words: “We’re not Home.” Referring back to the Biblical account of man in the Garden, we read that man chafed under God’s authority. Man listened to the lies of the deceiver, Satan, and in rebellion, man lost his "garden blessings." I do not point this out to discourage anyone; I want to point to a new Garden. A new Garden is promised for all who obey God’s call to companionship. Jesus has redeemed us, and we are invited to meet God in his Heavenly paradise (Revelation 2:7). Yes, we are not home right now, but we are invited to come Home. Keep looking up!