And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Gen. 3:15)
It felt like cans should have been rattling behind their car and wrapping paper strewn everywhere; their wedding seemed like days ago. And yet here they were, arguing and not seeing eye to eye. As they got used to their new life together, why did it seem like things never measured up to what they had imagined life would be? Why did it feel like someone was always in the wrong, and their scorecards just could not level out?
Sin breeds pride and contempt. It convinces us of our own rightness in every situation. Our choices to proceed with things that are contrary to God’s design and desire for us mar the perfect world we had imagined. We become convinced that everything we do, want, and say is right, while everyone around us is wrong. Sin turns us inward, and selfishness destroys intimacy. Instead, it pits husbands against wives, children against parents, and friends against one another.
When you sense continual discord in your own relationships, do you ever stop to take inventory of your thoughts about it? Is there a theme of blame? Is there a hesitation to own your own stuff? We were created for intimacy in relationships, but the Deceiver wishes to dismantle it completely into division and estrangement.
But be encouraged! This verse prophecies Satan’s defeat at the hands of Christ and the atonement that it provides to heal all of our relational conflicts. There is no scorecard with grace.
Embrace God’s transformative grace that holds the beautiful gift of intimacy.
Elizabeth Rhyno is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, worship pastor, and advocate for the wholeness and restoration God generously gives.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
