through adam's eyes by rebekah schragg (brene brown rising strong TXT) 📕

Through Adam’s Eyes
By
Rebekah Schragg


The dark theater was filled to standing room only. The men and women whispered in their seats in anticipation of the speaker they had come for.
The stage lights came on and all that could be seen was a stool and a microphone. Silence fell over the crowd as a man appeared on the stage. He walked slowly to the stool and sat down. He was an old man, with a white beard and cane. His cane clacked on the stage floor as he walked to the stool. He was dressed in old-fashioned garb; a long white tunic tied with a brown rope belt, a gray linen coat, and worn brown sandals.
The man cleared his throat before he spoke in a shaky voice. “Hello my name is Adam. Yes, that’s right Adam, the first man. I am here to tell you my story. Thousands of years ago I was in a beautiful place, it was called heaven. I was only a soul then, no flesh or bones yet. In fact, I didn’t even know what those were at the time. I wasn’t alone in heaven; I had three companions, the King, the Son, and the Messenger.”
“One day I overheard my companions discussing a magnificent plan. Their faces were aglow with excitement. They smiled and made gestures with their hands as they spoke. I could tell whatever it was they were planning was going to be great. While they were still standing together the King called to me.”
“Soul,” (that was my name before I became Adam) “come to me.” His voice was deep and gentle; I wasn’t afraid to go to him. “Sit here and see the things that I will create. They will be magnificent and words will not describe them. But everything I will do will be for you.”
We sat on the bank of the crystal sea and looked out toward the dark expanse that surrounded heaven. The King reached out and touched the expanse and said in a loud thundering voice, “Let there be light,” and a bright light appeared in the expanse as he pushed the darkness away, just as if he were pushing aside a curtain. He separated the light and dark into two expanses.
“See Soul, this light is good. It shall be called day and the darkness is night.” The darkness grew larger and the light faded and that was the end of the first day.
I awoke the next morning and the King was sitting nearby. “Awake,Soul! I have more to show you. Today I will create ‘sky’. I think you will like it,” he stood and reached out his hand again.
“Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” A huge expanse formed and encompassed the light that he created the day before. The ‘sky’ was beautiful and clear. I wasn’t sure what it was for or the point of the things that the King was showing me but I knew he would only do what he thought was best for me. As I stood there looking at the sky I wished I could touch it, just as he had.
“Rest now, Soul. What I do tomorrow will be even more spectacular then what I have already done. I make these things for you that you may care for them and call them your own.”
The second day drew to a close and I slept with the events of what I had already seen and heard replaying in my mind.”
Adam paused for a moment, to clear his throat and take a drink of water from a glass that a dark, mysterious hand gave him. He cleared his throat again and the audience sat silent, not daring to move from the edge of their seats for the rest of the story.
“I awoke to the King knelt beside me nudging me with his hand. “Soul, Soul, arise it is the third day. I have new things to show you.” I opened my eyes to his endearing smile.
“Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” I sat up watching with eager eyes. I had no idea what dry ground was. But as he spoke large masses formed and covered part of the water. He pointed to the dry grounds and smiled at me.
“Those are for you. The ‘land’ will be your home soon and the ‘seas’ will give you food and quench your thirst.” He looked back at the land and stretched out his hand again. “Let the land produce vegetation; seed- bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Small green shoots poked through the land, grew, blossomed, and produced in a matter of seconds. They spread all across the land in many different sizes and colors. They were beautiful and the fruits looked delicious.
“Soul, I have made these trees for you. They will provide food, shelter, and tools for your use. Now rest again for tomorrow brings even greater things.”
On the fourth day I awoke and the King was standing there staring at his creations. He smiled at me as he knelt down alongside the crystal sea. His hands scooped up some of the water crystals and threw them into the sky.
“Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.”
He took another handful of the water crystals from the sea and formed them into a large ball. He reached into the sky and set the ball there. It just hung there suspended in the sky with nothing holding it. I was amazed that it didn’t fall, but then everything I had seen amazed me.
“Soul, I give you the smaller lights to guide and comfort you in the darkness. The greater light will let you see your way in the daytime.”
And again the day ended as I slept with dreams of what would come tomorrow.
On the fifth day the King seemed deep in thought when I awoke. He didn’t speak to me or look at me. I saw a smile creep across his face as I sat down next to him.
I was startled when suddenly in a loud thunderous voice he said, “Let the water teem with living creatures and let birds fly above the earth, across the expanse of the sky.”
And then he was silent as we watched large animals leap from the water. Incredible creatures began to soar through the sky in a vast array of colors, shapes, and sizes. I could hear the birds singing as they flew and longed to touch them and feel the softness of their feathers. The King smiled gleefully as he watched the birds fly. He looked as though he had never seen them either and was just as curious about them as I was.
“Are they good?”He asked. “I made them for you so I want them to be perfect.”
In awe I choked on the tears of gratitude that lodged in my throat. Why would he make these things for me? I was only a soul, I wasn’t of any importance, or at least that’s what I thought. All I could do was smile and nod. I saw the glint of pleasure in his dark eyes.
Again he spoke, but this time to the animals that he had just created. When they heard his voice they all became still as though they were truly listening to his instruction
“Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas and let the birds increase on the earth.”
He spoke to them just as he spoke to me. His words were full of command, yet gentle and kind.
“I am creating these things for you, Soul. Very soon I will send you to the earth and you will live in it and be fruitful and multiply. I have so many wonderful things in store for you. Tomorrow you will go down there. We will not be this close to each other anymore, but I will still be with you every day.”
I listened intently because I knew that everything he said was going to be important and if I was going to multiply I would need to pass his words on to other souls, just as I am passing them onto you now.
Adam began coughing and reached for his glass of water. He began again with a shaky voice.
“Rest, Soul, tomorrow is a big day for you,” the King whispered as he placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. I felt peace come over me and soon slept again. My dreams that night were frightening, for the first time. I realized that I was scared to leave the comfort and peace of heaven.
I had never been anywhere else and had never been away from my companions. To be separated from the King and not see him face to face anymore was truly frightening. What was I going to do? How was I going to multiply when I was the only soul? Would all those creatures be gentle or would those big ones take a chance at eating me. All of these thoughts raced through my mind as I slept. I awoke, startled and scared until I felt his hand on my shoulder. Almost instantly my fears were calmed and I was able to sleep restfully.
When I awoke again all three of my companions were around me. The Son reached out his hand and helped me to my feet. He smiled so tenderly, yet his eyes were lonely and forlorn as though something terrible was going to happen.
The King spoke to the earth again and everything in it stood still to listen,
“Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals according to their