Forget-thou-not

Remember 12 years ago, today. To be honest, I had to be reminded. I wonder how it comes to be that one forgets...and such a monumental and wide-reaching fact. I have yet to forget one of my elementary school teachers, or a lunch sac I carried then that read "SCHOOL IS KOOL," or maybe "SKOOL IS KOOL." It was red, for sure.

Forgetfulness is a human condition, and perhaps the human condition. I mean, really, if we remembered everything we experienced, then we would still be in the garden of Eden walking with God Himself on a regular basis. We would have said, "No, you silly serpent, God said I would die if I ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. How about we just ask him ourselves, since HE WILL BE WALKING BY HERE LATER ON TODAY?!" Adam and Eve would also have remembered that there were two trees in the midst of the garden, the TREE OF LIFE being the other one! "Hey, Eve, let us partake of the tree of life instead, since it is also in the midst of the garden," I imagine the conversation might have gone.

See how much differently this whole situation could have been handled? But, sadly, we forgot.

You know what? In the present day, we forget the point of that passage to begin with. Genesis 2:9, 15-17 and all of chapter 3 looks like the swaying of our First Parents by a talking, deceptive serpent. How could Eve do such a thing? Where was Adam? He ate too?? They were swayed by a snake and some forbidden fruit off a tree.

The Point, though, is found in 3:11:

Genesis 3:11

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

Whereof I commanded.... The woman saw that the fruit was food and beautiful and had immediate and perceived benefits, then she ate. Are these not qualities with which God imbued the tree's innate structure? That is to say, there was nothing evil about the tree. So why was it forbidden? Because God said so. This is the whole of the matter: obedience. Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord their God, and that is why there were consequences. They even knew the consequences, but must have deemed them less offensive to them than the actual knowledge of good and evil. Then came the devastating result.

The two put their new sense to the task right away, sewing up some coverings (the first animal sacrifice, perhaps?) to save their skin. My theory here is that they got it backward; right was wrong and wrong was right to them. Think about it, why would they want to cover themselves (the way God had intended them to be) and hide from God (the one who loved them and whom God intended them to love), as their first courses of actions following the "opening" of their eyes?

We must remember. It is not God who has messed up our lives. It is we ourselves. Sheep are pretty dumb (no, not mute), in case you were not aware. I would know, because I have seen more sheep stand in the middle of a busy road that have no idea what is coming than I care to count. Goats and chickens at least try to run away. Who are we? The sheep of God's pasture. Need I say more?

Also, we can see that God has good things to give us. Note in Genesis chater 2 that every tree that God caused to grow in the garden was beautiful and good for food. So obviously God is not being malicious. But we just have to get the only good that we cannot have. Sound like humanity today? Why were they not tending to the trees somewhere near the edge of the garden or something?

I have an exercise for us. Today I want us to remember 10 good things about God. You can think of what God has done or of who God is or of what God has said in his word. Today I want us to remember.

posted from Bloggeroid

Adam

He walks into class as though he has every confidence in his directional capabilities; as though this is where he is supposed to be. His height is not intimidating, but everyone notices. His smile, when visible, emulates warmth.


From afar, he is unpredictable—strangers often are. He is not so foreign, however, for he is an acquaintance. This title brings with it an air of superficial familiarity, and the remembrance of friendliness. In no way does he seem perturbed by others’ opinions of him, choosing instead to take everything as it comes. Of course he has friends: it simply cannot be any other way. That is not to envy him, but rather to state a fact. Some people are known to have friends. Perhaps it is a stereotype (a very likely assessment), but it stands as truth for him. The backpack he carries is full of books from his other classes—an obvious sign of a studious person, or one who has a full day of classes ahead of him. His gait is reminiscent of one who is on a long journey: slightly bent and leaned forward, as though fighting moderate winds. Still, in spite of the storm, the smile flashes on occasion.


He greets me. I am not enthralled, as though he is about to give me a large sum of money; only pleased to be greeted by a pleasant person in the morning. He starts towards the front of the classroom— an indication of either wanting to makes sure to pay attention during class, or wanting others to think he does; the former is certainly more accurate. The entrance does not stop the show, as it were, but heads do turn. Oh, hey, some gesture with slight nods or smiles or both. Then they return to preparing their own materials for the coming lecture. In making the journey toward his seat, the inner confidence and purpose is evident in his stride. He sits down, and someone may start a conversation:

He is doing well. Yes, he slept well, though maybe not adequately, and he has no complaints. Yes he did the homework for today. It was not terribly arduous, and besides, it took only a couple of hours. She is also well. She went to sleep at 9:30 and barely got up for class, although the night was far from restful for her. The homework was okay. She happens to like this class.Class starts in a few minutes. He removes his items with the assurance that accompanies a student who knows his books and folders by their touch. He does not need to look in order to find his stationery—of course it is in his pocket. His pen is not fancy by any means, because it just needs to accomplish its job. It does not have to have a recorder built into it, nor a multiple-ink-selection capability. The same applies for his choice of pencil. There is no need for a giant of a pencil with a similar eraser. It does what it needs to do.


As he sits, he prepares himself for the coming class session. It is almost time to pay attention to the professor, when he comes of course. There is a natural patience about his posture in the desk. “Whatever happens will happen”, as the saying goes. If it is negative, he seems like the one with whom one might come with their troubles. He looks as though he could listen to someone’s problems with absolute serenity. Then, he would go about solving the problem to the best of his capabilities, whether the situation calls for comforting speech, or other means. If it is positive, he is the one to whom that same individual could freely share their joys or successes and expect congratulations and other affirmative gestures, without fear of envy or gossip. At the same time he looks as if he could sit on the porch of an old countryside house, drinking a glass of water and enjoying the afternoon breeze. There may even be a hint of pensiveness in his facial expression, complimenting the inner preparedness.

His name is Adam, and this is his first year. He really is a nice guy—some might even say swell. The aforesaid is only a glimpse at a guy who has great potential for success. If nothing else can be said, for, indeed, nothing more may be said from my perspective, his journey has brought him to college. That lends itself to some positive suggestions of his life. I should get to know him better. Besides an acquaintance, he may even become a good friend. It is time for class.