Parakalein

I was on a walk and saw a snake and noticed it was crawling on its belly more afraid of me than I was of it.  I had read earlier the passage of scripture that announces:  "To the serpent, Cursed are you above all and on your belly you will crawl all the days of your living".

I realized that this consequence given out to the serpent was not about the serpent but about humanity.  Adam and Eve had hid and blamed each other.  God did not turn and blame the serpent nor Adam nor Eve.  God steeped out of the circle of hiding and blame and offered the circle of love and grace.

As long as we keep our heads down and our bellies to the ground we are in a state of self protection and self preservation.  That is where blaming and shaming come from.  That is the nature of the serpent in all of us.  When we look down not up, when we look at the temporal or earthly things we miss seeing the heavenly things.

Our dog Ginger who is a Golden Retriever that we referred to as the Bronze Evader when she first arrived for she would not retrieve and was more bronze than gold.  She was nervous and jumpy not loving and trusting of anyone or anything.  She had been wounded by her first owners in various ways.  It took two years before she trusted us enough to show us her belly, her soft and vulnerable side.  Only when I trust God and lay on my back in the open field of God's love can I receive all the love and peace that gives me love and peace.  The curse of "on your belly" was a call to open our eyes to see in love and peace everyone, to blame, shame or give guilt to no one.  The curse offered an illustration of corrective focus not a sentence to eternal darkness.

"Look up for your redemption is from above where love and peace are the fruit of SPirit offered to transform the effect of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil into the Fruit Tree of Love and Peace."

Take Eat!