Can you believe that I said that:  your soul will be well when you have nothing to cover you? In Paradise, Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed.  They had nothing — and yet they had everything, because they had their Sovereign God.  There was no sin.  There was no doubt. There was no shame.

We are discussing “wellness” in this blog, so I don’t want to go much further into the Book of Genesis, and have to talk about the Serpent.  Because when the serpent entered the picture, wellness was swallowed up by darkness and all manner of evil. Because of Eve’s listening to Satan’s lie, “Did God really say that?”, she lost her soul-wellness.  In their shame, both Adam and she ran off to cover themselves.

This act is symbolic:  Today, we human beings put on our emotional defenses, just like Eve clutched her fig leaves.  We clothe our souls with a hardened armor to protect us from shame.  These are psychological defenses, such as placing the blame elsewhere, denying the reality of a problem, minimizing the extent of the sin.  In addition, that sickly covering (which we hope will hide our shame)  is made up  lies from the pit of Hell.  Satan himself designed that ghastly suit of armor.  He is the Father of Lies, the Prince of Darkness.  His lies are profound, but we believe them. Here are a few:   “You will never be good enough to partner with God.”  Or “No matter what you do, you will never be right with God.”  Or, “That sin is SO BAD, forget it — you will never be forgiven.”

Your soul will regain its health when you identify this suit of armor, these lies, and get rid of them.  Throw them into the deepest sea.  Jettison them to the farthest galaxy. Take them to the foot of the cross where the blood of Jesus flows, and wash them away.  Then return to the LORD Almighty, cleansed and naked.  Our God will robe you with a garment of righteousness, restoring you to the state of perfection you were meant to have in the Garden of Eden.   In this condition, free of the stain of sin and the influence of Satan, your soul will be well.  Thanks be to God:  Eve’s seed crushed the head of the Serpent.  God sent Jesus because He intends for us to live an existence full of these blessings we see in the Garden of Eden.  In Paradise “All is well with my soul.”