What happened?

Here I am. Morning dawned from my first floor window and now the light pours generously through the cracks of my blinds. As I look around, everything appears out-of-order and still, as if they lie waiting for something. As I look outside, I notice the same condition. A sense of patience and eagerness for what is to come pervades every ounce of creation. Once, a long time ago, trees moved freely, breathed from the life given them and now put under a spell. Once, animals knew their names and conversed with Creation, revealed ancient stories of Goodness, Betrayal, and a Fall from Glory. But mostly they spoke of Goodness and Love.
Whereas now these things sleep the sleep of death, then all lived in peace and joy. What happened?

What happened?

And as I sit here, from my first floor window, this question haunts me. What happened to glory? My heart and soul seem to cry out at once, “What happened to abundant life?” Death rules this world now. It will snatch my heartbeat one day. I’ll return to dust.
But I ask this question not for the future, but for the present. I am alive today. I have a heartbeat singing in my chest. I have a soul moaning from within. It moans, Restoration. Restoration. Restoration.

All Creation, hope in your coming restoration.

O my soul, hope in your coming restoration.

It comes quickly. Any moment now.

I stretched myself this far, to ask this age-old question: What happened? Somehow, I get the feeling, the human race had a grand role to play in this drama of glory and fallen-ness. Maybe we thrust our crowns into evil hands, maybe we threw our pearls among swine. Maybe it wasn’t our fault. Perhaps someone told us to do it; but that’s the problem in the first place. Deception. Acceptance. Shame.

Here I am again. Morning has passed by my window and metamorphosed into an afternoon sun. What has changed? I’m still asking the same question.

WHAT HAPPENED?