Why I'm No Longer Mad at Eve
Why I’m No Longer Mad
at Eve
In
my younger years, I spent a good portion of my time mad at Eve (and Adam too
for that matter). I was told that the pivotal day in the Garden of Eden, that
life-altering moment that they decided to partake of the forbidden fruit, is
the reason we women have cramps. So once a month, Eve was the subject of many a
cry fest as I writhed in pain. I was told that Adam is to blame for the fall of
man, for man getting kicked out the Garden, for the beginning of the end, and that
he and Eve are the reason the whole world has literally gone to ___ in a
handbasket.
“Aaaaargh!!” I
would scream when I thought of how tranquil life would be if they had not eaten
that dog-gone fruit, when I envision us dwelling in paradise, walking with God.
Imagine never having the daunting task of picking out clothes for the day
because the dress code in the Garden was… well….your birthday suit. I would
think of how God told them they could have access to EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE
GARDEN except the fruit from this one
tree, but how that “everything else” just wasn’t enough. They just had to taste the one tree that was
off-limits. So a fateful decision was made that affected countless generations
after them.
That
all just goes to show you my naivety. Because
guess what? This is not about Eve or Adam at all. This is not about their big “uh-oh” moment. You know what
I realized? We all have those Adam and Eve moments every day. Every day we are
all faced with temptation. Every day we are faced with a choice, the
opportunity to do what God has told us to do (give our tithe, love our enemies,
be a walking example of Christ, study the Word instead of watching the game or
Real Housewives, abstain from fornication, keep our bodies (His temple) holy)
and every day in some small way, we eat the fruit, choose to do what WE want to
do instead. Every day our external actions or words (what people can see) or
our internal hearts (what God can see even though people can’t) tell the Lord,
“I see what you’re offering God but this option over here looks so much more appealing!”
Or
maybe I’m just talking about me. Maybe I’m the only one who falls short daily.
Maybe I’m the only one who daily has to struggle with loving my co-worker
though she has been short and spiteful to others. God calls us to forgive
“seventy times seven” times when someone hurts us; maybe I’m the only one who
finds it hard to let go of a grudge every now and then.
Let me be more
transparent; maybe I’m the only one who, though God may have shown me a suitor
is NOT the guy for me and means me no good, will still entertain calls and
outings from the gentleman because I’m lonely and he fills the void. I can
recall literally leaping into my second marriage after receiving countless
confirmations not to do so. God was saying, “I have so much more to offer you
if you trust me and just wait,” and my response, as shown by entering that
marriage anyway was, “I choose this instead.” This was my pivotal moment that,
like Adam and Eve, affected so many other lives. This was my moment of choosing
the tempting fruit that’s right here, readily accessible right before my eyes,
instead of the countless other things God was offering me instead (let’s start
with the joy and peace I forfeited for those 3 years). Let me be clear, I don’t share that story with you to seem bitter
and bothered; I share it because there is a need for everyone to be self-aware.
How are you every day showing God that He is more important than any and
everything in this world, even yourself? Do your actions reflect that you fully
trust that what He has to offer is far greater than anything this world can
conjure up? Do your actions reflect that you respect His “no” and are willing
to do what He says, when He says it?
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