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#33 My Heart Undressed: Another BiteJANE PHINNEY: I believe it’s hypocrisy to blame Adam & Eve for the consequences of our choices today.Listen to the podcast version:
ANOTHER BITELast month was one of those months, filled with many days where I just wanted to run away from life. I wanted to escape the messy, work-in-progress-piles scattered on my desk amidst tending wounds of loss from a variety of sources. My mind felt conflicted & scattered. My desk looked like how my soul felt. I wanted out! It’s obvious to me that I have no control over time, interruptions or unforeseen glitches. My family tells me I’m “good” at details. But as I grow older, I find myself easily exasperated by tasks that take longer than I think they should. My brain plans like I’m still in my forties, while my body screams that I’m not. 😊 In my moments of internal battling against my own fatigue & mental defeat, I’m reminded that there’s really nothing new under the sun when it comes to my natural bent toward independence & wanting life to go my way. My control says, “Let’s keep things short, sweet, & simple.” That way, I can move on to the tasks that I’d rather be doing, or that I planned to do but had to put off. Because it feels like the clock is ticking faster than it used to. And I might not accomplish the things that mean the most to me. In my lifetime, I’ve often heard many folks sarcastically blame their earthly trials on Adam & Eve. Granted, their consequences from disobedience in the Garden weren’t pretty. But in all honesty, if they hadn’t messed things up, it would’ve been someone else, at some point, don’t you think? It might even have been me...or you. The proverbial apple, the insatiable quest for knowledge to gain control, is always dangling at the forefront of our minds. I can only speak for myself, but I have daily opportunities to recognize this battle in my life. The enemy hasn’t really changed his tactics either. He taunts us & lies to us, in his efforts to draw us away from intimacy & dependency on Jesus Christ. Like in his appeal to Eve, Satan can make personal “smarts” look so delectable that we easily forget the devastation that eventually follows from our fleshly, me-first choices. He comes in through the backdoors of secrecy, shame, deception, & distortion of Scripture. (See 2 Corinthians 4:2) Can you think of any sin that isn’t rooted in a lie? The apple still looks so beautiful & incredibly appealing! One time won’t matter. And who would ever know? So, we take another bite, enjoying the crispy crunch as the juice runs down our chin. We rationalize away the itty-bitty shortcut we chose instead of holding out for God’s best. We easily forget that even our personal consequences can have increasing ripple effects in the lives of other people…people we love. We blame someone else for our actions or, in some cases, for our inaction. Adam blamed Eve & she blamed the serpent. Ultimately, they blamed their Creator. Pride reared its ugly head & they panicked when they heard God calling them. In Truth, can’t we all identify? Satan had successfully deceived them by twisting God’s Words. Raw exposure shamed them, so they ran to avoid personal responsibility. Ever since that day, avoiding authority comes as natural to our flesh as breathing does to our physical bodies. I don’t believe God was caught off guard by the Fall in Eden. Saddened maybe, by having a heaven-on-earth existence ungratefully thrown back in His face. And for what gain? Nothing, absolutely nothing! The resulting spiritual & relational death affected every living thing…to this day. We can criticize Adam & Eve. We entertain theological discussions on why we think the fall happened. We can even feel bad for their spiritual stupidity. I mean, they did know the Truth, right? They had lived perfection & threw it away. They walked with God & sold Him out for a bite. Long term, Adam warred with basing his value & identity on work; assessing how well he controlled the weeds. Eve loved Adam but waged her own internal battles between submitting & the desire to control her husband. And their kids, now conceived & raised in pain, well…they hated each other…to the point of murder. Some trade-off. I believe it’s hypocrisy to blame Adam & Eve for the consequences of our choices today. Or to blame anyone else for that matter. I can empathize with Eve’s internal struggle while she stared at that forbidden fruit. Can’t you smell the scent…feel the pull of the possibilities… & identify with a slowly encroaching spiritual amnesia? Eve’s weakened resolve led to the momentary forgetfulness of Whose she was & the inheritance she had already been given. Adam’s second-guessing hesitation was all it took for him to cave & join her in another bite. Life as they knew it crumbled in a split second! Instant shame led them to hide. I get that. I can recall my feelings before, during, & after I made a stupid choice, one where I knew better, but thought that maybe just once, it wouldn’t matter. Conviction can make you feel sick. Jesus Christ fulfilled His Father’s reconciliation requirements to secure our redemption. He shed His blood on the Cross. He took our place & bore the punishment we deserved. He conquered the power of sin & death. We are no longer helpless captives to our own fleshy desires, to the lies of the enemy, or to the ungodly draw of the world. In Christ alone, we can live victoriously—moment by moment. Because of His indwelling life, via the gift of His Holy Spirit at salvation, we no longer need to live daily depending on ourselves & our own resources. JESUS IS OUR HOPE! He loves us & has miraculously restored us to the Father. He rerouted our eternal destiny from a tormenting life separated from God’s presence (hell) to a glorious eternity, in His presence, as His Bride (heaven). In the meantime, we have been given our own spiritual Garden of Eden fellowship, worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth, & honoring Him with transformed lives. (Romans 12: 1&2) Thank you for reading, My Heart Undressed. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. We want to extend our eternal gratitude to each of you for taking the time to read our publications and engage with our posts. Your support and interest mean the world to us, and it motivates us to continue creating content that resonates with you.
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