"Mother of the Living"

When reading through the book of Genesis, there is a ton of information we can drink in.  Studying Eve in particular reveals a great deal about Biblica womanhood and what women were created for.  One phrase in particular that I want to focus on is when Eve is named.  She is called Eve because she will be called "the mother of the living" (Genesis 3:20).  However, if we look closer at the text, we can see that she is named "Mother of the Living" before she is a mother. We can therefore determine that her name is not only referring to her ability to bear children.  In my opinion, it speaks more to her ability to inspire life.  She should invite life from others.  To be the mother of something means that you have produced something; therefore it isn't a huge leap to say that her name infers that she produces life around her.
So what does that mean, and what does that look like?
First, Jesus is referred to as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).  In order to produce life in others, you must first know true Life, amen?  Proverbs 19:23 tells us that "The fear of the Lord leads to life." For women to call forth life, we must first be hidden in Christ. We must seek to know HIm and make Him known.  We have to be generous in how much we speak of Christ and share Him with others!  Share what He is teaching you, new facets of His character that you are experiencing, and be willing to be open and vulnerable in order to share Christ and impart life to others.
Let's look at a few examples of what that looks like from Scripture:
In the Gospels, we see that Mary Magdelene is one of the first people to see that Jesus's tomb is empty and He has risen from the dead.  However, if you notice in Luke 24, the women RAN to share the good news with others.  Peter ran to the tomb to check it out- then went home marveling.  He didn't go out and share, but the women couldn't contain themselves!  It was through the mouth of a prostitute that the first people heard the Gospel that Jesus Christ had conquered death and sin.  She brought life by bringing Christ.
The Samaratin woman at the well has a similar story.  She had lived in sin for years and been isolated from her community (hence she was coming to get her water from the well in the middle of the afternoon, in the heat of the day- most likely in order to avoid being seen by others). But once she encountered Christ, she left her water at the well and told the whole town about the living water.  In telling others about Him, she had to expose her shame and reveal the things He had told her about herself- but she counted it as worth it in order to bring others to the Christ.
We could go on and on recalling stories of Esther, Ruth, Abigail, Rebekah, but hopefully you can see the point. Christ is the source of life, so to give life, we must point others to Him.
Another way to give life is to be an encourager. We know that Scripture and the Spirit both bring life (2 Corinthians 3:6).  We should heed the warning from James 3 about blessing and cursing coming forth from the same mouth. Use your mouth to bless the Lord and His children; steward your speech in order to bring life.
Ask yourself, are you a part of the problem, or part of the solution? As Christ's ambassadors and representatives, we should be breathing life in to the situation we're a part of, just like how God breathed life in to Adam. He is our ultimate example! We must be aware of our affect on others and seek to strengthen and encourage.
My favority verse to illustrate this point is Song of Songs 2:2- "Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the young maidens."  Awesome imagery!  The stark contrast created between a lily and a thicket of brambles is startling.  That is what we are called to be in the world.  Let's take a moment to look at the science behind the analogy.
All plants are quite self-centered.  They seek only to reproduce and spread thier seeds.  Makes sense, right? Flowers typically do this by attracting bees to thier nectar. As the bee feeds, pollen rubs off on it, allowing it to cross pollenate, which is strengthens the general flower community.  It's seeds can spread because of the flowers beauty, shape, aroma, and availability. It is beneficial to each creature involved in the process.
STARK contrast to the briars.  They seek agricultural success and prowess by stifling all life around them. The thorns prevent anything from coming close enough to wound, they smother out all other life forms in a near proximity, and they make an area uninhabitable. 
We don't want to be brambles!  We want to give life by being invitational, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord, but allowing others to get close enough for us to rub off on them.  We must love enough to be vulnerable to injury. We must be willing to sacrifice ourself to bring life.  Abigail is a great example of this.  Her story in 1 Samuel 25 is a humbling study. Her husband, Nabal, was ignorant and offended King David by refusing to feed his troops.  Abigail hears about this and she rushes to her husbands aid as David and his army come to slaughter him and his entire household. She falls on her face before him and begs for mercy.  She has prepared a meal and ministers to the armies' needs.  And you know what David's immediate response is?  "Bless the Lord!"  She brings life to the situation, and it points him to Christ. She brings both literal and spiritual life!  What a woman!  May we be the type of women who bring life to a situation to the glory of God. May we be women worthy of the title "Mother of the Living."