(image found at Art.com)

The other morning I sat at our table facing the little lamb craft my 4 year old and I put together.  Here’s what went through my mind:

Why did you have to choose a slain lamb Lord?  I mean in all of history… in all of Your story, why did you choose to make it so that a lamb had to die, ultimately, so that Your own Son had to die?  Why couldn’t You have written the story so that nothing and no one had to die?

All that and more went through my mind in a flash. I knew He heard my thoughts cause He answered me right away.  He brought to my remembrance Genesis 3:21.

And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. -Genesis 3:21 NLT

I don’t have God’s beautiful mystery all figured out.  I don’t know that I want to… life is an adventure discovering new parts of life in Christ, but at least for the other morning, a little glimpse into the heart of the Creator of the Universe warmed my  heart.

Until Genesis 3:21 nothing had to die.  And the very first thing to die, died at GOD’S hand for the purpose of covering the people He created.

Covering.  That’s why there had to be a slain lamb.

I know there’s a lot more to why there’s a slain lamb.  I know that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).  But the very first mention of the reason for death in God’s story was to clothe and that just grabs my heart!

If you think about it, no life, warmth, feeding, growth, etc., ever comes unless something lays down it’s life.

A seed has to die so a plant can sprout forth.

A plant has to die so that an animal (or person) can eat it or make shelter or covering with it.

An animal has to die so a clothes and food can warm and nourish a human being.

Life only is because something died.

This isn’t just nature.  This is God’s nature.  This is the story of Christ written in our planet’s design.

And it gives me such comfort to know that the One who wrote the DNA of creation, died to cover me.

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Head on over to Becoming Me to link up with your own Easter post all this week!