Why did the first two humans, found in a beautiful garden, blame
someone for their own sin?
Adam and Eve obviously had it made. Wouldn't any one of us love to have
been in their place! No struggle, beauty all around them, nothing to worry
about and all the food they could ever want, except for one fruit. This part-
icular fruit was off-limits. He made them and placed them in the perfect
place told them Not to eat it. They could have anything else, but not that.
So why did Eve get so tempted and believe a snake, of all creatures? Why
did Adam follow suit? And what happened next? They were both ashamed
of what they had done. They came to realize how they had done something
wrong and that God would not be happy about it. So they found some
leaves and they sewed them together and put them on. (that must have
been comfortable....not)
Then what happened? When God came into the garden, He began calling
them. They hid from Him. "Where are you?" God called, as if He didn't
know. Like three kids playing hide and seek. Adam and Eve knew they had
been "found out," so they came out of hiding.
"Here we are." They SHEEPISHLY said. (now we know why we are
called "sheep" in "....all the sheep have gone astray.")
"Why are you wearing those ridiculous fig leaves?" God asked.
"To hide our nakedness," they responded.
"Who said you were naked?" God asked them.
"Well, when we ate the fruit You told us not to eat, we realized we were naked."
"Why did you eat the fruit?" God asked knowingly.
Adam spoke first, being the man and having so much pride now, perhaps
for the first time in his life. "Eve gave me the fruit!" First blame ever to be
recorded. He thought God wouldn't notice that he had disobeyed and
listened to Eve. God never told him that it would be fine to eat the fruit if
someone gave it to him. (Wonder how many of us have taken something
from someone else, like a cigarette and thought it wasn't a bad thing, just
because we accepted it from another human.) God just said "Don't eat it!
Period!"
Then it was Eve's turn.
"So Eve, why did You eat the fruit?" God waited for her silly reply.
"Well, the snake told me that You told us not to eat it just because you
didn't want us to have everything and know everything that You have and
know and that if we ate the fruit, we would have and know everything you
do have and know. So I ate it." (while in her mind, thinking.....Adam did
too, so you should yell at him more.) So the second blame in history was
written down.
So what really happened here? Or there, I should say; or maybe what
happened way back when? Neither party wanted to take RESPONSIBILITY,
so it was so easy to get out of it by "blaming" someone or something else.
The Problem: When we blame someone else, divorces happen, bullies
appear at our schools, siblings fight, jails get full, crimes go unsolved,
people starve....etc.
All bad things eventually happen, and you hopefully get the picture. We
all need to take responsibility for what we say and do to others or even to
ourselves. When we don't, this world doesn't get better, it gets much
darker, angrier, sadder and not such a garden any longer.
Please take responsibility for your OWN actions and teach your children
to do the same....maybe in another 50 years or so, things will change for
the better....if we are all still here, that is. Have a good responsible day.