In the Beginning…

By Gail Hayes –

If you want to see what eagles see, you must be willing
to do what eagles do. You must embrace bravery and
soar while understanding the risk. You must have
no fear of heights, no fear of flying, no fear of peril or
of the hunt. You must be willing to swoop down into
danger’s valley and capture your prey. You must become
a warrior-leader. You must also understand that warrior
leaders, like eagles, get to keep what they capture.

From the beginning of time, men have always known that they have the power to make decisions. Even as far back as the Garden of Eden, people were making decisions that would influence the future of all humanity. When God put Adam in the garden, He made a decision so critical to the survival of mankind that without it, no one would exist. He knew that it was not good for man to be alone and that he needed help to live out his purpose and fulfill his destiny. So the Creator of the universe made a powerful decision to create a helper for Adam who could handle monumental projects and become known as the master multitasker.

This helper could make snap decisions without hesitation and carry heavy loads without complaining. This helper could have a child in the morning, prepare lunch at noon, and work in the fields at night. This helper could sense danger before it arrived and wrestle it to the ground once it appeared while nursing her infant. This helper could go without food or sleep for days and yet still have the energy to defeat a nation. This helper could cross a desert on foot and, with the sand still clinging to the bottoms of her feet, enter a throne room with the presence of a queen. She could do all these things and still be vulnerable enough to need Adam’s protection, all while watching his back better than the fiercest of warriors.

But God created this helper so complex and so multifaceted that even today, her thoughts and actions still befuddle the mind of man. Yet without her influence, man would be lost. God created this helper and everything on earth changed. The identity of this helper is easy for us to see. God called her good. I call her sister. She is me. She is you. She is woman.

Leading from the Beginning

“You’re doing a great job, Adam. I’m proud of you,” God said as He and Adam walked through the garden. The wind tickled his cheeks with its soft fingers and Adam relaxed as his feet swept through the thick, green carpet of grass. The cherry blossom perfume was intoxicating, and Adam breathed in the fragrance as he stuck his chest out with pride.

“Yes, and thanks goes to You, Lord. You’ve taught me everything I know, and I love working here,” said Adam. But God knew that it was just a matter of time before Adam would become lonely. He knew that His daily visits would not always be enough, and before long Adam would be yearning for something more. God knew because He placed that need within Adam when He created him. Adam would soon become lonely and long for something he did not yet know about. He would still need his daily walk with God, but this second need would complete his life.

“Adam, I need you to do something for me,” God said as the cool breeze of the day danced around them.

“What is it, Lord? Anything You ask, I will do,” said Adam as he slowed his pace and turned to face God.

“Well, Adam,” God said. Everything in the garden grew silent, holding its breath, waiting for Him to speak again. “I need you to name all the animals here in the garden.” He continued walking.

“I can do that, Lord! When do we start?” Adam asked as he ran to catch up with God. He was so excited that he nearly tripped over a giant ruby embedded in the garden pathway.

“Let’s start now,” said God, and He turned and motioned for the first animal to come before Adam.

When Adam saw the animal, it was as if everything God had taught him leaked out through his ears. His mind went completely blank. This was a strange-looking creature, and he realized that this was going to be more difficult than he had originally thought. As hard as he tried, all the words seemed trapped in a vault bolted shut with this project’s newness.

Adam stood before this creature and lost the ability to even think. He did not want to disappoint God and felt helpless to do what He had asked him to do. Adam began to question whether or not he could perform this task. This was different from anything God had asked him to do in the past.

He dropped his head and rounded his shoulders. He became unsteady on his feet. Then, suddenly, he experienced something he did not understand. He felt the veil of discouragement drape its chilly arms around him. This chilly veil began a slow descent over his spirit and Adam, for the first time in his life, was at a loss for words. All he could do was stand before God with his head bowed while trying to keep his balance. He felt a strange tingly sensation stinging his cheeks. He wiped his face and felt an unfamiliar wetness. He wept.

As God looked into his eyes something miraculous happened. Adam’s rib cage began to vibrate. It shook with such force that it nearly threw him to the ground.

And then Adam heard something he had never heard before. He heard a voice so sweet that it nearly took his breath away. This voice caused such a stirring in Adam that he almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He could focus on nothing but this marvelous voice. Then the voice did something that surprised Adam. It began giving Adam instructions.

“That creature looks like its name should be monkey, sweetheart,” the voice said, sending tremors through Adam’s ribs.

“Monkey, Lord!” Adam shouted to the Lord with a voice filled with authority.

“And this one looks like a giraffe. Oh, and there’s a pig, and look at the donkey, and that must be a dog. I like the sound of that. What do you think? Oh, and look at the cat and the bird. Yippee! Look at that cow and chicken. That one is hopping so we can call him kangaroo. This is so much fun I can hardly stand it! I just love helping you name these creatures,” said the voice, hardly taking a breath as the animals continued to come before Adam. As each animal approached the voice gave Adam a name. Adam in turn announced the name to God. They developed a rhythm that appeared as natural as the marriage of the clouds and the rain.

After days of naming animals and all the creatures he could see, Adam could barely stand. Fatigue embraced him and caused his knees to weaken. As he sat on the ground, sleep called his name and the weight of his eyelids nearly blinded him. His rib cage was so sore that he dared not open his eyes to see another animal for fear the voice would give him another command. He could hear the voice giggling and talking at full force, but all he wanted to do was sleep.

God is a God of mercy. He could see what was happening and He took pity on Adam. He allowed a deep sleep to fall upon him. It was so deep that nothing could have woken him except God. With the voice still talking and Adam’s rib cage still vibrating, God knew that it was time to unveil His next creation to the garden.

With sleep’s arms embracing him, Adam had no idea what was about to unfold. As slumber had her way with Adam, God gently opened his rib cage, released the voice, and gave it a new home. He gave it a body that was comparable to Adam’s body. He knew that it was now time to present Adam with a gift. All the elements of creation were now present to see the beauty of this gift. God waited until He knew that Adam and the voice could work well together before unveiling her to the world. He waited until Adam and the voice proved that by naming the Animals together, they could lead together.

The voice that so mesmerized Adam was someone we all know. Her name resounds through the corridors of our feminine spirits and ignites our hearts. She was our sister. She was and is woman. She was a natural-born leader and her name was Eve. She was the first leader and she knew something that many of us are just discovering. She understood who she was and she understood her power. She was born to lead!

Dr. Hayes founded the European Executive Women’s Forum, the first active network of the National Association for Female Executives in Europe. She and her group also hosted the first European conference for that organization and appeared in Executive Female Magazine, the official publication for the organization. She has traveled as a nationally recognized expert with Clemson University’s Professional Women’s Development Conferences, the Smart Women’s Lifestyle, and the Ready to Win Conference teams. You will find her at her website: http://www.drgailhayes.com/drgail.html.