I am so mindful on January 1st of each new year at the significance of "starting over". We encounter "do overs" throughout life and I cant think of one time that we do not welcome them. Fail a test and a teacher offers you a "do over" a second chance to "make it up". Oh getting second chances and opportunities to begin again.
If you are like me I am sure you can comb through the past years of your life and find instances where you'd love a "do over" card. There are quite a few I can think of myself...instances where I would definitely present my "do over certificate" --- effectively erasing something I did or said and receive a clean slate. If only that could happen right?
So here it is January 1st. The first day of 2015. A new year. In the last few days I've contemplated what I wanted to launch on this day. It's filled me with excitement. Every year on this day.... I get to push a button a 'RELOAD'. Woo hoo.
One decision I made was to start the "reading through the bible in one year" plan. And not only that but keep a journal with it to chronicle the profound moments between me and God's word. So, that is exactly what I did this afternoon.
What I've chosen to do is to write various thoughts that stood out in my reading segments. The app I am using presents your daily reading sections of the bible in a format whereby the author of the format offers a little devo as they present to you the portions of the day from Gods word. I liked that. I managed to fill a page with four different pieces of info that stood out to me. Of those four, I chose one to chew on and here it is:
God gave Adam and Eve far reaching permission in the garden of Eden (see Genesis 1:16.) In short it says "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When you do you will surely die. You do not need to know and experience evil". God wants you to know only good.
That resonated within my heart of hearts because frankly I've been struggling with this. It seems every week I am reading a news story regarding the abuse or death of children by the hands of the very one's who are responsible for their protection and sustenance. It is more than I can bear.
This deep rooted grief I feel is also increased by the knowledge of the struggle of my own dear son and daughter in love whose greatest desire is to have their own children to love and nurture! I watch their struggle with their hearts in their hands....yearning for children of their own and simultaneously read of others in this country who can easily conceive and bear children and they neglect and kill them. I told my husband, "this is far too hurtful for me to bear".
As I read Gods word I thought about "the knowledge of good and evil". What could be more evil than reading about the details of the killing of little children? And yet our perverse society and the media churn out the stories like butter! We watch programs on television that are called "entertaining" of the murder and torture of precious people. What is wrong with us?
But God gave Adam and Eve the choice with a warning. Don't pursue the desire of needing to know everything! You will regret it for it will surely kill you. But they couldn't stand it - the NOT knnowing and they took it in and the rest, as they say, is history.
Could it be that simple? From this sinful disregard of Papa Gods instruction our forefather and mother unlocked evil and it spilled itself out upon the world. Evil. Self righteous depravity. And though there are millions of people today who do not partake and pursue and applaud such perverse acts, we DO take it in for we feed on the news of it. With the dawning of the internet in the 90's we now can know everything that is going on at any one time, at any one place in the world. All the evil there is, we get to partake of it daily. Every murder, every story and every incident of evil. That is, if we choose to. And it is more than I can bear. Is this what God meant? "When you do you will surely die". An interesting thought. But then there is our father God trying to protect his children with 'you don't need to know everything'. I love how this passage of scripture reveals that like any parental, God only wants us to know and experience good. What loving parent wouldn't?
And though it was not our choices and actions that took us to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, shame on us for partaking of depravity as entertainment! It is still offered up, piled enticingly on a plate and we still make choices daily to partake of it when we watch some of the programs that we watch. God forgive us.
Lord forgive us for not understanding. Give us more understanding. I pray for the little children of the world and of our country. God, the little children!!! protect them. intercede for them. punish those who demean and destroy the lives of your little ones in Jesus name. Amen.
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