I hope everyone has had a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday and that you all survived Black Friday shopping! Amidst the chaos of family, food and Christmas shopping frenzy it is good to slow down for a moment and glance back towards God to be reminded what this life is all about. Let's start with a piece of scripture and then an observation.
"NLT Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?" 2 "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. 3 "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." 4 "You won't die!" the serpent hissed. 5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil." 6 The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. 7 At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. 8 Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees."This is familiar scripture. We all know the story of the serpent and Eve, the conversation, the hope of something better, the sweet taste of the fruit in the moment and then the shame and fear at the realization of what has been done. What struck me recently is how this isn't just Eve's story, but all of our story. So often we focus on this passage of scripture through an interpretive lens of Adam and Eve wanting to be like God, but what happens when we change the lens to one of dissatisfaction with their current lifestyle. I would venture to guess that most of us do not envision our lives and think, "we want to be like God;" but I would make a large wager that many of us look at our current lives and feel a great sense of dissatisfaction, so much so that we will try just about anything when we think the grass is greener on the other side.
That really was a driving force with Adam and Eve, the serpent told them something that made them feel like their current lives were not enough, that something more was out there to be had and that something would make their lives better and more fulfilling, if they would simply eat this fruit their dissatisfaction would be replaced by a deep sense of fulfillment. This is starting to sound like modern day advertising and marketing, and having been in that industry for years I would know. That is what marketing does, it paints a picture as if our current lives are somehow lacking to create in us a false need for their product. It doesn't matter if we need the product or if it will even improve our lives; we listen and think we have to have it. Most times we discover that the product does not live up to the hype and our pocketbooks are a little lighter and in fact our lives might be a little more stressed because we should have used that money for something else. True satisfaction can never come from materials or even human relationships; true satisfaction can only come from God.
Satan's product was disobedience to God's command and distrust of the person of God. At face value, we would never buy a product like that, but with his deliberate packaging and marketing message, he had Eve and Adam buying it hook, line and sinker. Their lives end up in shame, fear and banishment. We are just as susceptible; it is important that we pay close attention to this because we can so quickly find ourselves in the same trap. This weekend and even this entire Christmas Season is a time when we are being hit with marketing messages left and right to make us feel dissatisfied with life. Don't buy into this mentality! Equally though we get these messages from other more seemingly innocent places where we get the same "grass is greener" message and we need to be on guard. Facebook is a good example, as it has proved to be a detriment to many marriages today as one spouse begins to reconnect with old high school friends, to reconnect to a time without responsibility and sacrifice. Suddenly the memories of that life and those people makes the grass look much greener than a life of sacrifice, responsibility and discipline that marriages and family require, but let me assure you that there is no green grass in divorce court! Satan woos us today, just as he did Adam and Even in the garden. We must be vigilant! Facebook is just an example, there are so many places we can encounter the message that we should be dissatisfied with our life and we need to be constantly on guard.
Let's be clear, there is nothing wrong with setting goals to change our lives for the better; like pursuing an education, or learning to play a musical instrument, or going the extra mile to make sure we are in line for that promotion. All of those involve deliberate planning and work and can lead to a better life and a deeper material satisfaction; it is the illusion that we should be dissatisfied with this life and pursue something that involves no sacrifice, discipline or even work to attain true satisfaction. Again, true satisfaction can only be found in God!
Be assured that it is God's intention for all of us to be satisfied and deeply fulfilled with a life that has Him at the center. When we embrace that life, we will no longer look for greener grass because we will be satisfied that God will take care of and provide for us and we will find our satisfaction in places of service, worship and love. Let's not forget that this weekend or this season.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron
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