I had this idea that God transcends the dualities and the more time that passes the more I see the reality. Today, I read about the imagery of reptiles in ancient religions. Most ancient religion revered reptiles, especially serpents and snakes. They believed snakes were a symbol of wisdom and immortality. Yet, as a Christian, I have been taught to relate the image of the snake with evil. After all, it was a snake that tempted Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, right?
However, if I look at the story logically, the serpent couldn’t possibly be as evil as I have been taught. God created all the creatures in the Garden of Eden and He said that they were good. God himself said that the serpent was good, not evil.
I have been writing that God loves me so much that He gave me the gift of freewill and self-awareness. Yet in this story, Eve is tempted to eat of the tree of knowledge to become self-aware and gain freewill. Doesn’t that sort of make sense? As children, we are taught to do as our parents tell us. We follow them because we need to learn from them and they keep us safe, but at some point, we must defy our parents and leave the “nest”. We become an individual on our own right. The serpent in this case isn’t evil. The serpent represents that wisdom that each of us finds to become a child of God, not just a creature of instinct. It really isn’t something that God gives to us; it is a step we take on our own. And once we have taken that step, it is a long, long journey back home to salvation.
To leave the Garden, we must disobey and to return to God, we must surrender. In a way the serpent represents the wisdom of self-awareness and freewill. The serpent represents the beginning of eternal life, but the next step is Jesus Christ. The Savior represents surrender to God. The completion of that circle and life everlasting.
In the end, God never does put value on people, creatures, and things the way we do. They just are. God gives us self-awareness and choice, but He also gives us a chance to find Him and to surrender to His plan. God doesn’t want us to fail. He wants us to find the way. He does so much to help us. He leaves signs and guides us, if we just open our eyes.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
