For our God is a consuming fire.

-Hebrews 12:29


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Friday, October 1, 2010

Serpents & Apples

The Book of Genesis offers us the famed story of Eve, the serpent and forbidden fruit. As I progress ever closer to our daughter's due date (4.5 weeks as of this blog posting), I'm mindful of this tale's outcome.

Quick refresher details: Adam and Eve are created as perfect beings in the image of God, and placed in the lush Garden of Eden. Everything is theirs for the enjoying save one item. They are instructed by God Himself not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. So our frolicking first friends bliss out in the Garden for a time. Eventually, as humans tend to do, their focus shifted from the countless blessings they had, to the one thing they could not have. Enter the serpent.

The snake slithers over to Eve and slyly suggests she help herself to the fruit of the Tree. When Eve states it is forbidden, the serpent counters with a rationale. Note: the snake doesn't say the Tree's apples are not off limits. Rather, it justifies the taking by a blame game stating God knows if they eat of the Tree, they will have God-like knowledge. Now I ask you, what woman has not been in a position to crave some additional knowledge?

So Eve eats. The first sin is committed. Then Adam eats, and they too play the blame game, pointing out the fault in both Eve and the serpent. The results are excommunication from the idyllic Garden, hard work and toil to make the Earth provide and excruciating labor pains for women. It's this latter consequences that has me all aquiver. I'm not looking forward to the excruciating part.

Meanwhile, these two graphics have recently crossed my path and I thought would share.

VERSUS



I really only like one. I find the apologetic take on Eve's "uh-oh" moment hilarious. My Bad, indeed. Because in all honesty, if it hadn't been her to royally flub up for mankind, or any of the billions of women preceeding me, I guarantee I would be the one to create dire consequences. Who among us can point a finger?

But I can't agree that the serpent was the best thing to ever happen to Eve. Give me a break. Some overly-chatty, legless male beast convinces our heroine that she should do the very thing she knows she should not?! Isn't this just a version of the same story so many women have acted out in their lives? We don't call certain kinds of men snakes for nothing. And which of us in following the sly words of a toothless, footless, slithering wonder has ever been overjoyed with the results? Not many women I've befriended have happy endings from their tales of trusting the untrustworthy. Hmmm...food for thought; and not the rotten apple kind of food.

In summary, I'm about to embark on a wonderful journey of parenthood. It's going to start with some painful pushing and end with our blessed baby! She's no doubt going to encounter some snakes in her time. I hope I can help her, talk to her about her options, her strength and character providing what she'll truly need to obtain knowledge; not the smooth talking of some snake. Apples are quite tasty, but only when picked from a quality tree.

Let's choose our trees and fruit with care. But if and when we do choose without wisdom, let's not write it off as some great event that's happen to us, as victims; let's own our shit, move on with a lesson learned and eventually laugh. "My Bad!"

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