Eden Was a Workplace

When you picture Eden, what do you think of?

When you hear the word “paradise” what comes to mind?

Many of us have picked up impressions of Eden that lead us to picturing days filled with leisure. Like Adam and Eve were just strolling around, not doing much of anything, with Margaritas and reclining chairs not far away. But Adam and Eve were not sitting around, doing nothing. Eden wasn’t about leisure. It wasn’t a vacation spot.

Eden was a workplace.

Eden wasn’t a workplace in the sense that we picture - not in a hustle-culture, clock in/clock out, grind-just-to-make-a-paycheck sense.

But it was a workplace. A beautiful and fulfilling one.

From the very beginning, God gave Adam and Eve a job:

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion…” Genesis 1:28

Dominion wasn’t busywork—it was the great divinely-given commission. The very first job description. God had just created order from chaos, formed beauty from nothing, and then—He invited humans into the work.

And I can’t help but think that when Scripture talks about God walking in the garden, what if God’s walking with them wasn’t just leisure? God didn’t create Adam and Eve and then leave them to do life on their own. They lived in intimate relationship with God, fellowshipping with Him and depending on Him for wisdom and guidance.

Imagine what life must have looked like for Adam and Eve as they were figuring out how to cultivate the garden: exclaiming in joy as they found a new plant, watching in wonder as they saw an animal give birth, sitting down to eat lunch together and enjoying the new foods they had discovered or cooked in a new way. And God was with them, living life with them as they cultivated His amazing creation.

I picture these walks as a beautiful blend of fellowship with God, with each other, and of asking for wisdom about their divinely appointed task of dominion.

“Lord, how should we build our home?”

“Did you see the new growth over by the fig bush?”

“Should we dig a ditch here or over here?”

“What do you think this plant does? How can we use it?”

This is how wisdom is presented to us in Scripture. We see this most clearly in the book of Proverbs, where wisdom takes on an allegorical form as Lady Wisdom.

Ray Ortlund writes this in his commentary on Proverbs,

“Wisdom is personified as a classy lady, opening to us her palatial home… Taking the whole Bible into account, this is a picture of Jesus Christ as a wealthy and wise friend who has thought of everything we need and provided it in full. He is the greatest expert in the universe… and he is better at building a great life for you than you are …Jesus is our priest and our prophet, but in the book of Proverbs, we encounter Jesus as our mentor. Do you see him that way? …Let’s not patronize Jesus as a nice man who gives us warm religious fuzzies while we turn to the “experts” (whoever they are) the seriously qualified people, for the challenges of real life. Jesus Christ is the shrewdest man who ever lived.” -Ray Ortlund, Proverbs: Wisdom that Works

You see, we have a feast of wisdom laid before us, free for the taking, if we can simply humble ourselves to receive it.

But we have been lied to.

We have been taught that Jesus has “spiritual” wisdom, but that when it comes to the daily needs of a Thursday morning, we need to turn to the “real experts” for wisdom on daily life. If you have a question about what to serve your kids for lunch, Jesus can’t really help you there. If you have a question about how to structure your business launch, Jesus can’t really help you there. If you have a question about how to navigate that difficult co-worker situation, Jesus can’t really help you there. But that’s not the kind of wisdom laid out for us in Scripture.

I call this kind of thinking “two boxes Christianity”, because we have two boxes into which we compartmentalize all of life- the box of stuff God cares about and the box of stuff He doesn’t. We see Monday as “real life” and Sunday as “spiritual life.” But that’s not how it was in Eden. Adam and Eve’s worship and their work were intertwined. They weren’t toggling between church mode and career mode. It was all one holy rhythm.

That’s how Scripture presents wisdom to us.

The wisdom of Scripture walks with us.

It speaks into real-life moments.

It’s not just spiritual—it’s practical. It gets its hands dirty.

Wisdom in Scripture isn’t abstract. Proverbs shows us wisdom for friendships, finances, work, speech, leadership, marriage, and more. Wisdom is God teaching us about life.

You know why wisdom isn’t abstract? Because ultimately, the wisdom of Scripture isn’t an abstract ideal. It’s a person. And that person is Jesus. (Luke 11:49, 1 Cor 1:24)

And Eden was the very first blueprint of this organic, life-on-life relationship where Jesus teaches us how to live life well.

But your own work is probably coming to mind about now. It probably doesn’t feel like this abiding, fellowshipping, God-centered experience of growing in wisdom, does it? It probably feels more like a necessary evil we do just to survive. And this is where Eden helps us to long for more in our work life.

To borrow C.S. Lewis’ phrase, we need to go “further up and further in”. We haven’t even scratched the surface on the beauty, the joy, the excitement, or the fulfillment we are meant to experience in our work.

Our work is good. God designed us to work—before the fall. Work didn’t enter the story through sin; only the toil of work did. So if you’re tempted to think work is a necessary evil, remember: Eden was full of glory and full of tasks. Dominion was never a punishment. It was a privilege.

And here’s where this hits home for us: That means your spreadsheets matter. Your client calls matter. Your toddler’s snack time matters.

God uses us as His hands and feet to carry out His work in thr world. We are His body. What we do in His name is His love flowing thorugh us to others. God is working through your work. He’s never stopped inviting us to co-labor with Him in His world.

And here’s the good news: even though Eden was lost, Jesus came to restore what was lost. We are working in the in-between time, between the first garden, Eden, and the final Garden-City we see pictured in Revelation. We will someday experience what Adam and Eve did - walking with Jesus. Working with Jesus. Only it will be even better than what Adam and Eve experienced because there will be no way we can mess it up. Our relationship to Jesus won’t be only creature to Creator, but also redeemed and Redeemer. I cannot wait for that day.

So while we work between Eden and the Garden-City, let me leave you with this reminder:

Jesus redeems not just our souls, but our Mondays.

He dignifies our daily work.

He walks with us still— He’s with us not just in church pews, but on garden paths, kitchen floors, and office chairs. Let’s work with Him and let Wisdom lead the way. Further up, and Further in.

If you’re a Christian woman in business, I invite you to join me and a deeply committed community of entrepreneurs inside The Voca Society. If you’re feeling burned out, spiritually disconnected, or simply tired of building alone, this is for you! The Voca Society is a Christ-centered space for women who want to grow their business without compromising what matters most. Inside, you’ll be discipled in how to work from conviction—not just hustle—so you can build faithfully, with clarity and purpose.