Eve: The First Mother

I would say that, next to Mary, Eve is the most well-known mother of the Bible. Unlike Mary, however, Eve isn’t really talked about for her parental roles. Out of all the moms, she commands the most respect as she had perhaps the hardest experience being the first, ever, mom. Looking at her life, it was all about being the first in everything, except for being human. Adam most likely wasn’t all that much help, as he was right there with her in those first experiences. What she did have, however, was unquestionably the best assistance ever, a direct line to God.Imagine needing advice and having questions, and God will answer you directly and immediately.

Although it might be amusing to hear how God explained the act of procreation to them, let us look at those major firsts leading up to Eve becoming a mother. Of course, the act for which she is famous is her first encounter with temptation. I imagine Eve was like a child at this time, nave and thinking her father could do no wrong. She was not accustomed to looking for and recognizing things or people that could harm her. The Devil came in the form of a snake, one of the animals that she helped Adam rule, so it was most likely not out of place in the Garden of Eden. I am not going to rehash the well-known tale, but being the first to encounter sin was most likely one of the worst firsts, as she experienced it alone and the consequences saw her joyful innocence ripped away from her, as well as her home; more importantly, the closeness she had with God was also gone.

Having been cast from paradise, the two humans encountered a slew of firsts. They had to find shelter and learn to forage for food. God was with them every step of the way. In Genesis 3:21, it says that God made Adam and Eve "garments of skin." From this, we can deduce that he taught them to slaughter an animal and how to process it, as I can’t see God as being the wasteful type.

There are some firsts that God couldn’t really help prepare Eve for. Some things you just have to experience. Childbirth is the ultimate experience. God warned her that it would be painful, as that was part of her punishment for eating the forbidden fruit. As Eve was the first, there was no one to help her with coping mechanisms and other advice. Likewise, hers were all the firsts in raising her sons, Cain and Abel. Of course, God was able to tell them how they should behave, but every child is different. What works for one doesn’t necessarily mean it works for another.

Looking at the Bible as a whole shows that God periodically makes mistakes in his parenting endeavor. Flooding the earth to cleanse it of all evil was his first major act, which he immediately regretted afterward, as he showed in his promise to never do it again. Sending Jesus to earth was a complete 180, as he realized that the violent punishments weren’t working and decided to just love his children no matter what and to forgive and forget in order to be closer to us. Likewise, as humans, our way of raising our children has to evolve with each child. Eve had to learn this the hard way when Cain killed Abel. After Abel’s death and Cain’s banishment, Eve bore another son, Seth. Seth isn't mentioned much in the Bible, so he was probably exactly what God wanted him to be: happy and well adjusted.

Unlike Eve, we are blessed with many sources of help and will not likely be the first to experience something new. In today’s modern age, even if we don’t have close family, we have our church family, friends, and even the internet if we truly come across something unique. Above all, God will always answer our prayers, whether it is by answering us directly or sending someone our way to be his mouthpiece. The hard part is filtering out the information that is God-sent from the misinformation. The Bible often talks about how anything that is not of God and is foolish is rooted in evil. So many times, though, we are misled because the information we find sounds so reasonable.

When it comes to parenting, there is no right way to do things, as long as you do it with love and consideration for your child and their needs. As I mentioned earlier, every child is different, and so what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for the other. Everyone loves to tell you about their experiences, trying to be helpful, but the only voice you need to listen to is God’s. If someone gives you advice that you think sounds reasonable, pray about it. God will let you know if it's the right thing to do. I don’t know how many times I have done this. He sometimes responds to me, and other times he speaks through one of my friends. Over all, in your parenting journey, the important thing is keeping an open mind, being flexible, and, above all, exercising patience.