S) "2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 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.'"
Genesis 3:2-3 (NASB)
O) So, if we go back to the preceding chapter, we clearly see that Eve is not accurately quoting God. In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree; God says nothing about touching the tree. So, how did Eve come to this determination? Well, she was not yet created when God told this to Adam, so she didn't mis-hear God. Her information more probably came from Adam. So, either Adam told her the directive from God verbatim and she misunderstood Adam, or else Adam added the little bit about touching, as a preventative measure to keep Eve from eating the fruit. Obviously it didn't work.
A) For our first several years together, I lived in fear of upsetting my wife. She struggled tremendously with anxiety, and I did my very best to avoid anything that might throw her into an emotional downward spiral. Consequently, I tried to take a lot of "preventative measures" that amounted to nothing less than lying cowardice. It never worked though. I was incapable of controlling my wife's reactions. It wasn't until we both surrendered to Christ, that she found the freedom I wanted for her. Since then, I still have a tendency to want to protect her. What I'm slowly learning, though, is that her peace comes from God, not me, and that her spiritual growth has strengthened her to handle much, much more than I usually think. I have to remind myself that she's not who she was.
A) For our first several years together, I lived in fear of upsetting my wife. She struggled tremendously with anxiety, and I did my very best to avoid anything that might throw her into an emotional downward spiral. Consequently, I tried to take a lot of "preventative measures" that amounted to nothing less than lying cowardice. It never worked though. I was incapable of controlling my wife's reactions. It wasn't until we both surrendered to Christ, that she found the freedom I wanted for her. Since then, I still have a tendency to want to protect her. What I'm slowly learning, though, is that her peace comes from God, not me, and that her spiritual growth has strengthened her to handle much, much more than I usually think. I have to remind myself that she's not who she was.
On a larger scale, this concept of over-stating God's instruction is also found commonly in parenting. I mean, I'm no Texas preacher, trying to prevent kids from dancing, but I'm afraid I haven't always done the best job of explaining why something is wrong, and instead chose the route of avoidance. I need to trust God, and trust that the Truth of the Bible is always sufficient, and I don't need to "filter" things for my wife, and I certainly don't need to make things seem worse than they are, for my kids, out of fear.
P) Father, forgive me for my lies of distrust. Remind me what a beautiful work of grace You have done in my wife, and let me be assured You will do the same with my children. God, I never want to operate out of fear. Let me trust fully in the sufficiency of Truth. Your word is all we will ever need. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
P) Father, forgive me for my lies of distrust. Remind me what a beautiful work of grace You have done in my wife, and let me be assured You will do the same with my children. God, I never want to operate out of fear. Let me trust fully in the sufficiency of Truth. Your word is all we will ever need. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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