July - 4
WHAT HAPPENED?
The man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God . . . walking in the garden . . . and they hid. Genesis 3:8
Do you ever wonder how things went so wrong in the Garden of Eden?
God could easily have created Adam and Eve so that they would not only have been perfect but also wouldn’t have sinned. God could simply have left out the one tree in the middle of the garden and given them no choice. Then life would have been perfect, right?
But think of it this way: If my wife had been created to say kind words about loving me, and if she was programmed to say yes when I asked her to marry me, wouldn’t it seem that I was married to a robot? What satisfaction would there be in having someone say they love you when they have no choice?
The value behind real love is in the relationship. And the value of the relationship has to do with choice. My wife’s love for me is significant precisely because she doesn’t have to love me.
But that also means there’s a risk. When there is the ability to choose for, there is also the option to choose against.
Adam and Eve exercised that option. And their choice hurt God deeply.
I can’t undo what Adam and Eve did, but I can ask myself, “What do my choices say to God about where I am in relationship with him?”
PRAYER
Lord, it’s so easy to define our faith by talking about the good we do or the bad we avoid. Help me to see today what my choices and behavior say about you in my life. Amen.
伊甸园里竟然发生了如此糟糕的事，你是否感到大惑不解？
神造亚当和夏娃时，大可把他们造得既完全又不会犯罪，神可以索性不把那棵树放在园中也不给他们任何选择，这样人生便会完美无暇了，你说是吗？
不过，让我们从这角度来看：假若我的妻子被造时已注定会对我说温柔和爱我的说话，当我向她求婚时，假若她已被安排答应我，我岂不是和一个机械人结婚吗？人若在没有选择的情况下说爱你，那你又有甚么满足可言呢？
真爱背后最宝贵的是彼此的关系，而关系之所以宝贵，则与选择有关。我妻子对我的爱之所以有意义，完全是因为她不一定需要爱我。
但是，这也有冒险的成分的，当有权选择赞成时，同时也有权选择反对。
亚当和夏娃运用了这选择权，而他们的选择大大伤了神的心。
我虽然不能把亚当和夏娃所做的一笔勾销，但我却可以问自己：「我如何向神交代我的选择权，来决定我与神有甚么关系呢？」
祷告
主啊，我们总爱谈及我们所作的善行或所避免的恶行，来定义我们的信心，求祢现在帮助我们看到，我们的选择和行为，如何显明在我们生命中。阿们。