Best Option

"The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die."' The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?' He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.'" -Genesis 3.2-10

As Genesis 3 progresses, the enemy continues to twist and corrupt what God has made good. The words, and intentions of God are twisted to make God seem like the less desirable option, and that He is withholding something good from His creation. God's character is called into question, Satan makes Him out to seem a liar. The evil one took what God had forbidden, and made it the focus of desire, and when Adam and Eve chose the opposite of God, everything fell apart.

As they ate, their eyes were opened, and they became aware of their nakedness, and the first thing they did was cover themselves. Now there is shame, now there is something to hide. Vulnerability leads to fear, and fear creates the need to cover up and hide. God did not create fear, or shame. In God's original design there was nothing to hide from or cover up. These feelings and responses are the result of God's creation being twisted and corrupted.

God made a paradise, and in that paradise there was one simple rule, don't eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. The option was to enjoy God, and the bountiful creation He had made them, think about that for a second. Every fruit tree in creation is at their disposal, and they choose to stand right next to the only one that has negative consequences. In reality are we really any different? The forbidden draws us to it, because we believe we're missing out on something, but it's forbidden for a reason.

God gave options so that creation could freely choose Him. With Him is life, peace, openness, and shameless enjoyment of the world. Apart from Him is death, shame, deception and secrecy. With God is His presence and company, apart from Him, we must hide out of fear. The way that God has made is the way of life and purpose, apart from Him is the endless pursuit of meaning that leaves emptiness and unquenchable desire. We are given options, and the best option is God.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!

Peace be with you