Finding contentment after the Fall

The woman (Eve) said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:2-5 (NIV)

Reflection

From nothingness your eyes are opened. Your first vision is of God standing before you. You feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. A gentle breeze summons the smell of lavender. You notice the sun, the clear blue sky, the trees, and the green landscape. God instructs you to tend to the plants and animals. The only rule is to not eat from one specific tree in the garden. The consequence of eating its fruit, God tells you, is that you will die.

Day after day, your job is to tend to the garden. You water the plants and tend to them and care for the animals. You have no pain. In time, God provides you with a mate, Eve. You and Eve lead the kind of life together that most of us imagine our lives will be when we imagine romantic love. There are no stresses or worries. No competing demands. You live in trust with both her and with God.

One day, you see the serpent speaking to Eve. The serpent suggests to her that you should do the one thing you have been commanded not to do, “eat the forbidden fruit.”

She replies, “If I eat this, I will die.”

The serpent responds, “You will not die. If you eat it, your eyes will be opened. If you eat it, you will be like God.”

You watch Eve look at the fruit for a time. You feel something in your heart and body you have never felt before… a sense of excitement but also fear. For the first time in your existence, you doubt God and His word. You wonder what Eve will do but you stand there silently. You want to stop her but the words don’t come out of your mouth because you want to see what happens. This strange new feeling of excitement and curiosity holds you back. Eve bites the apple. She does not die.

“Maybe God did lie?” you ask yourself. Immediately, you take a bite yourself. A sense of shame comes over you. Not yet shame over what you have done but shame of yourself. For the first time in your life, you recognize that you are naked and fear that your nakedness will be seen and exposed. You and Eve take some of the plants and cover yourselves.

You hear a rustling noise coming closer to yourself and recognize it is God coming. Your shame only increases. You look into Eve’s eyes and see a mirror of your own feelings, fear. You grab her hand, run behind some bushes, and crouch down. You know that God will find you. You know that you will be exposed but you do cannot face it.

“Where are you?” he asks.

You are quiet for a moment but you know that the time has come. You come up slowly so that you can see him and you reply, “I heard you coming and I hid because I was naked. I was afraid.”

For the first time, you see anger in God’s eyes and hear it in His voice, “How did you know that you were naked?” You look down at the ground, afraid to meet his gaze. “Did you eat the fruit that you were told not to eat?”

Afraid to face the consequences, you look at Eve who is also looking at the ground. Is there any excuse that you can come up with? You think, “Wait a minute. God gave you Eve and Eve gave you the apple. If God had never provided you with a mate, this never would have happened.” It’s Eve’s fault! Not only that but it’s God fault, because God brought Eve into your life! “YOU brought Eve into my life and Eve gave me the apple. When she gave it to me, I ate it!” You feel some hope that you will not be punished as you say these words but your shame also increases.

You look at God as his gaze shifts to Eve: “What have you done, Eve?”

She replies: “The serpent that YOU put in the garden lied to me.”

The consequences to all involved were severe. The serpent was cursed to crawl on its belly. For Eve, childbirth would be painful. When you gardened, it would not be easy anymore. Insects will come and eat your crops. Weeds will grow and choke up your plants. You will struggle as you work. From now on, when you finish tending the garden, your back will hurt. Ultimately, you will die.

Contentment

Adam and Eve were given everything they needed for sustenance and to bring them joy. Eden was peaceful and was most likely beautiful. They were given work but that work most likely not a burden. As I understand it, they may have also been physically close with God. Ultimately, they were deceived into thinking that there was something better.

I have spent my life setting and achieving goals. However, accomplishments have never provided me with the happiness or the sense of fulfillment that I expected. I had everything I had ever wanted: good health, a strong marriage, two children, two dogs, a nice house, a job with a good income for an organization that serves the community, and I had earned a PhD. I considered myself to be a Christian in that I occasionally prayed; I went to church with my family about every other week; and I tried to read the Bible a little every morning while I ate breakfast although I would sometimes play Wordle or read the news on my phone instead. I struggled between faith and disbelief.

At that time, it was difficult for Rita and I to focus in church because our girls were restless and bored. As a result, Rita and I took our family to several different churches trying to find one that met our needs but also had good children’s programming because our children do not like sitting through church. However, we did not think any of the churches were right for our us.

Early last summer, I was given a collection of three books by an author who was heavily influenced by puritan teaching. I began to thirst for my morning readings and the impact it had on my faith. I began to devote more of my weekend time to morning meditation, prayer, and reading. Toward the end of the summer, we took a trip to Lake Tahoe. During my alone time before the rest of the family woke up, I spent my time in the hotel lobby reading and meditating while drinking coffee. One evening, we went on a boat cruise to an area called Emerald Bay. It was drizzling much of the time we were there and, as we were starting to leave the bay, I stood on the fantail (the back of the boat) and took in the view. I observed the lake, the island, the mountains in the background, and the rays of light piercing through the clouds. I was filled with awe of the majesty of God and wanted nothing more than to savor that moment. I was content.

Soon after we returned home from Lake Tahoe, I committed to pray through my stress rather than looking for distractions. It was uncomfortable at first and there were nights that I struggled and felt a great sense of discomfort and fear as I opened my heart to God. However, the extreme discomfort passed more quickly than I expected and I began to experience contentment more often. Rita and I also felt the call to begin the Bible study for children at our church ourselves, rather than finding a church that already offered it, and we have found this time to be a blessing to ourselves.

I now recognize that many of us are not much different than Adam and Eve. We have everything we need but we do not appreciate it. God is right here for us to experience but we desire something else. Psalm 37:3-4 teaches us: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and He will do this.”

My commute to and from work involves driving over the summit of a small mountain that separates. Yesterday, we had heavy rains and, as I drove home, I observed the beauty of the mountains and the greenery on the hillside that has resulted from the rains. As I drove home, I made the conscious decision to enjoy that moment and to be content.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6