Sometimes, I act like a little kid. I take what little I know and assume that I understand everything. Like a 4 year old who thinks eating candy and avoiding baths will make him happy, but fails to realize how nutritious food and good hygiene are necessary for health, I am naive about my own ignorance. I believe that I am somehow gifted at making intelligent decisions, just because they make sense to me.
Lets take a step back for a minute. How did I get here? Why do I feel like I have all the answers. Is this the way its supposed to be?
God made Adam. Why? Was it so that Adam can grow food or make things for God? No. Was it so Adam could offer God advice on issues God was dealing with? Once again, no. So if God didn’t make man to sustain Himself or learn from man, then why are we here? The answer is extremely simple and complex, both at the same time.
was Adam’s love. Encompassed in that love is Adam showing God his
proper respect. In order to love God appropriately, Adam needed to
know his role in relation to God. This role was pretty evident by the
fact that God laid down the ground rules. “Don’t eat from the tree.”
This seems like a pretty clear indication that God wore the pants and
that Adam was expected to submit to God’s will. Here’s the clincher
though. God’s pretty smart and he knows what’s best for Adam, his
creation. As long as Adam follows God’s guidance, he gets to continue
living in paradise (Eden) where he doesn’t have to work or experience
most of the hardships mankind now suffers. But Adam gets the bright
idea that he knows better than God, that God is not acting in Adam’s
best interest. So Adam eats the apple, and the rest is history. Man
failed to submit to God, placing his own will ahead of his master’s,
and Hell is unleashed, literally. Adam had it made, but he gave it all
up because he couldn’t play by the rules. As a result of his
rebellion, we all must live with the consequences, inevitable
damnation. Harsh.
Although a lot has changed since the days of Eden, the same fundamental rules still apply. God is our creator and should be in charge of our lives. He knows what’s best for us, even when we can’t see it. Every now and then He’s going to throw on one of those cone collars to keep us from doing something detrimental to our bodies. God wants us to be happy and leads us in a direction that will take us to that point. Sometimes however, like Adam, we start forgetting who’s in charge and we try to grab the reins ourselves. We steer onto new roads and bring about new, occasionally disasterous consequences. And for what? Because we think we know better. Because we, as omnipotent human beings, think we have a better grasp on life than it’s Author.
I confess that I am the greatest of sinners when it comes to this area. My whole life, I have tried to control everything. Even daily on the mission field, I find myself struggling with God for control over certain aspects of my life. I constantly forget that God has my best interests at heart and if I would just willingly surrender everything to him, he would bring about something far greater than I could ever achieve on my own.
God is good, God loves us. The sooner we can believe that and get over ourselves, the sooner we can experience true freedom.
