The Eden Factor
Today I want to share with you a concept that has become a guiding theme in my life and truly the foundation of my living beautifully. It’s a concept I factor into most of the decisions I make, especially those regarding my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It has become the framework in which I try to build my life, and the reason behind my passion to live cleanly, simply, creatively, in harmony with nature, and in support of small businesses. This concept is what I’ve affectionaly come to refer to as The Eden Factor.
The first two chapters of the Bible are my favorite of all the books/chapters because it provides the first description of how God designed the earth to be, you know, before the fall. The whole Bible is a long seamless story about the familial line leading up to Jesus and how to live righteously in a sinful world, and thanks be to God we have this instructional manual!
However, I am so intrigued by the first two books of Genesis to have a peek into that initial design, how things were supposed to be. Can you imagine how beautiful life would be if sin didn’t exist? And just because I think some of us have a difficult time with the word sin, when I use the this word, I regard it as any behavior that puts distance between us and God. The MSG translation of 1 John 3:4 describes sin as a major disruption of God’s order. When we disrupt the universal order created by a holy God, there can’t help but be distance, and continued disruption creates continued distance. The sin cycle continues until we choose to break it.
Anyway, chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis are the only look we get into that brief time before the disturbance of God’s order. If you haven’t read the first two chapters of Genesis in a while, may I encourage you to refresh your experience with that story? I love using my Bible App by YouVersion. You can download it through that 👈🏻 link.
Unfortunately due to sin, we don’t get to live in a harmonious garden God created for man, but lessons are there—in those first two chapters—that I put into my daily life in hopes of drawing closer to God as well as bringing a pre-fall Eden into my life in the modern world.
The Eden Factor consists of 5 concepts:
Concept 1: Try to eat whole, organic food as much as possible, because that’s how God created it to be prior to man messing with the food system.
Verse: Then God said, “ I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Genesis 1:29-30
Application: I love Farmers Markets and growing a little garden on my own. I try to first look to what occurs in nature to meet my needs prior to searching anywhere else. Relying on nature in this way feels like a direct line of connection between God and me, and that is something I will continue to chase whenever possible. FYI: I apply this concept to any product in my life, not just food, but also skincare, body care, shampoo, cleaning products etc…
Grace: We all know how broken the food system is in our country, but we are also living during a time with the greatest food “shake up” in US history. Also as a busy mother of teenagers, the prospect of always eating clean (or making my kids always eat clean) would be much easier if we were living on some commune somewhere which, obviously isn’t the case. This is not an easy task, but I do my best and by no means do I allow this to measure my commitment to the Lord. I think it important to be known that I love gummy bears, pizza, cookies, crackers, croissants, wine, M&Ms…grace is necessary.
Additional message: God provides everything I need.
Concept 2: Put in an honest day’s work and take time to rest.
Verse: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 1:31-2:2.
Application: I try really hard not to work on Sundays. I work Monday-Friday. I play catch-up on Saturday. I rest and spend time with family on Sunday. In our house, spending time together typically revolves around meals, so one of the 4 Palmers often has something on the stove or grill. On this day of rest, I try to do the things that recharge my battery as opposed to depleting it: read, watch shows, date with BP, cook with the boys, have friends over for a meal, reset my home…
Grace: It’s not always possible, and for years I had jobs that required me to work weekends. If that’s your circumstance, I see you. If this is a new concept for you, I say make it easy on yourself and start small. Whatever day you have off—whether it’s Sunday or a different day during the week—set yourself a timer and take at least an hour to rest and recharge. Pray. Listen. Go outside. Prioritize that rest time as best you can.
Concept 3: Recognize that we were all given very specific jobs. Take my purpose seriously and support others in their work.
Verse: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it…Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living crature, that was its name.” Genesis 2:15, 19-20
Application: I’m not on this earth solely for my personal enjoyment. In Genesis, God was building a kingdom, a place that was good for creation. If I am created in His image, that’s what I’m doing as well. In some way, I’m working with God to build his Kingdom, we all are. I’m hear to help build the Kingdom of God, and I was given specific gifts to do that in my own unique way. I believe these are a few of my gifts and I try to steward these toward God’s will: communication with women through writing, approachability, cooking, peace-making, aesthetics, and a loving heart.
Grace: Don’t judge others or yourself if you’re struggling with knowing your purpose. Our journeys are all different. Stay plugged in with your heart on the pulse of scripture, and don’t forget to stop and listen. Prayer isn’t just one-sided. Make room to hear.
Additional message: God gave Adam the job of working and taking care of the garden. It was necessary for the good of the garden as well as a command of stewardship. God gives all of us specific jobs for specific reasons. Let’s all strive to understand how we can reach our purpose using our specific gifts while also supporting others in their work. This is why I am so passionate about supporting small businesses.
Concept 4: Be sure to use your natural creativity to do the work God has given you to do. Work to build unmet needs.
Verse: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” Genesis 1:2-4
Application: God saw there was a need, and created. It began with noticing and was followed by a thought. That’s how everything begins, with consciousness. I work to be creative based on my awareness and personal point of view. It’s unique to me and needed in the world.
Grace: Everyone is creative in some way, even numbers people, people who consider themselves “black and white with no shades of gray,” people who are left brained over right brained. In some way, we can apply what we know creativively. Be gentle with yourself.
Additional message: Later in the chapter, verse 26 states that God made mankind in his image. If God is creative, then we are creative. I love the book, Called to Create by Jordan Raynor. It’s such a wonderful reminder that we are all made in God’s image, and the first thing we learn about God in the Bible is that He is a creator, The Creator. “God was the first entrepreneur. He brought something of nothing. He established order out of chaos. He created for the good of others. Before the Bible tells us that God is loving, holy, or merciful, we learn that he is creative. We are made in the image of the First Entrepreneur; thus when we follow his call to create businesses, non profits, art, music, books, and other products, we are not just doing something good for the world, we are doing something God-like.” —Jordan Raynor, Called to Create
This is also a reason I love supporting small businesses.
Concept 5: Don’t discount how important nature, sunshine, a garden etc…is for your mental and physical health.
Verse: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15
Application: This is a repeat verse from Concept 3, but I’m using it for a different lesson based on what wasn’t said. Of all the jobs, tasks, and places on the earth, God chose to put man outside, in a garden. There were trees, plants, flowers, vegetables, fruit, bushes, seeds, bees, critters, rocks, elements, sunshine, wind. There were no shoes, or houses, or shelters, or coats, or SPF 50, or hats. I find it so interesting that God’s best for Adam was in a garden, and I try to remember this each day and remember to connect with nature at some point. This is why I feel so passionate about being a good steward for our world. If you’ve been here a while, you may remember back in the summer of 2023 I promoted Plastic Free July on Instagram and gave 31 tips over 31 days on how to reduce the amount of plastic you use. Our earth is so important. Let’s be good stewards! This is one of the reasons I started thrifting. Have you ever seen landfills full of stuff people throw out? Buying secondhand is a good way to be sustainable. If the demand isn’t there, production will slow down, and that’s exactly what is needed on this earth.
Grace: I know what day and age we live. I know the elements don’t always make this concept easy, nor do popular societal norms promote connecting with nature. Homes, cars, screens, jobs, errands…all of these make up the settings of our to-do lists. It’s a concept you have to decide to prioritize if it aligns with your values.
I love to have plants in my home, so that on the days in summer when our Texas heat is too much to handle, or on wintery days when our entire state is frozen (throwback to Snowmagedden 2021) I can still have a little bit of nature near me. Like I said before, plants feel like a direct line to God for me, even better if its an heirloom that hasn’t been altered in some way by man.
So friends, that’s about the gist of The Eden Factor, and honestly, if I decided to, I could likely find more lessons and concept within those two books. However, these are the basics and I wanted to share them with you.
I want to eat as cleanly as possible as often as I can because I feel that’s how God designed the world to be: he creating food, we eating said food. Bio-engineered food products weren’t a thing in Eden.
I want to work during the week, not be idle, and prioritize rest on Sundays.
I want to take my purpose seriously. I want to take others’ purposes seriously too.
I want to use my unique God-given creativity to propel my purpose forward.
I want to recognize how important nature is to all aspects of my health, and to be a good steward of our earth.
Most of you have heard me describe The Art of Living Beautifully as building a personal culture, a way of life in alignment with our values reflective of our individuality. So much of my personal culture is a reflection of The Eden Factor, and I hope today’s blog has given you some ideas to ponder or inspired you in some way. My friend Shay always offers on her blog to send anyone reading a Bible if they don’t have one, and I’d love to offer the same thing. If you need a Bible, or even someone to pray for you, please send me an email. lauren@laurenpalmermedia.com.
