08/24/2024
It was never meant to be this way – neither the chaos nor the control. Shalom in how the world was created – whole, complete, peace filled, enough. It should have been enough for them. Good was sufficient. They need not know evil. They could not control that kind of chaos. But then he showed up, and he offered something they couldn’t refuse – godship. When you know both good and evil, you move into a position of power. Why should they be subject to the control of another? Of the One who only provided for their good?
It was too good to resist. Or maybe instead, it was too delightfully evil to exist. The temptation to step into the shoes of the one who created them became the ultimate act of independence. They could choose, and their impassioned desires won out.
Bite. Crack. Fracture. Suddenly their insides felt the outside, the reality of the presence of pure evil. They realized they were unclothed, unprotected, exposed. Fear made them look at one another in new ways. They scrambled, reaching for fig leaves. Coming up with their own solution to the problem they now faced. The weight of potential danger to their bodies, their minds, and their souls ravaged their insides, and they went to hide – Shalom now broken.
It was never meant to be this way – neither the chaos nor the control. Exposure to the elements, the breaking down of safety, the pursuit of power at the expense of others, the fearful shaming that ruins relationships. Danger, aggression, vulnerability at risk, and the constant prowling need for security.
But its too good to resist. Or maybe instead, it is too delightfully evil. We take the fruit in our hands, looking over its beauty and desirability. Smelling its fragrance, the temptation to have that level of power. To make our own choices, to pursue our own ways, to take on the position of God.
Bite. Crack. Fracture. Suddenly, our hearts start racing as we see the pieces fall apart. We grasp for some sense of control and safety. We scramble to analyze our options and choose that which will regain our footing. Solutions we must figure out! Strategies we must examine. Seeing and sensing the threat and attempting to subvert the Sovereign.
It was never meant to be this way – neither the chaos nor the control. But we reside in this fractured state. So now what? It’s too good to resist. The offer, the hand. The Sovereign who begs, “Pass the fruit back over to me. I’ll take the burden.” And as the chaos ensues, we grasp onto him, trusting that he clothes us, allowing God to be God once again. Releasing our need to figure it all out, to manage the risk, to find our own sense of security. Washing our hands of the need to control. Returning to the one who loves us more than life. Returning to Shalom.
