We're gonna go way back in history for a minute. In the beginning, God created the world. [If you believe in the Big Bang and Darwin theories, this logic isn't going to work for you, but feel free to stick it out and argue with my thinking.] God created everything, with a purpose, a plan. He created not one person, but two, whom quickly fell into the whole free-will conundrum of making a decision that was not what God intended, and then being disappointed with the consequences.
If you are a parent [or aunt or uncle or friend of a parent], what do you do when a child misbehaves and breaks the rules? You punish them. Often, it's taught in the plethora of childrearing self-help books, to make the punishment fit the crime even. Let's create a child for this illustration: Judy is four. She likes to color and everytime she colors, the medium somehow get's off the coloring book. The first time it happens, her crayon slips off the page and marks up the table. It was a simple and accidental mistake. You tell her that we don't color on the table, wipe it off and let her continue to color. The second time, Judy intentionally drags her crayon off the page and scribbles onto the entire half of the table in which she sits. What do you do? Well, you have many options. You can tell her again, "we don't color on the table," wipe it off and let her keep coloring. You can scold Judy, clean it for her and let her keep coloring. You can scold her, clean it, and take the crayons away. You can make Judy clean it and take away crayons. You could scream like a raving lunatic about how she will never see her crayons ever again and ground her for a week. Really, the possibilities are numerous.
I'm not starting a parenting debate, but most parents will tell you that the proper response falls somewhere within the realm of talking about what Judy has done wrong and making a logical consequence, such as making her clean the crayon off the table or taking away the crayons.
God is our parent. He has set us at the table with a coloring book and a box of crayons, the tools to color a beautiful picture. But, there we go, scribbling all over the table. So, what does He do? He responded to the first sin in the Garden by allowing Adam and Eve to feel the shame of their actions. Then, they were removed from the Garden and had to begin a life of pain and hard work.
So, why are we so focused on living lifestyles that are built upon the foundation of sin and utter wrongdoing? And then why are we surprised when our choices lead to consequences, matching and fitting consequences? There are instances where an alcoholic of 30 years dies in a fire or a sexually promiscuous woman who never protects herself experiences no disease or unwanted pregnancies. Those are rare and uncommon instances.
At what point do we stand up, admit "I screwed up" and move forward with the consequences that we have? When do we stop blaming God (or other people) for our bad decisions and outcomes? And how do we begin making others live with their consequences as well?
What happens if you tell Judy the second time, "we don't color on the table" and you clean up the mess and let her continue coloring? Will she learn?
What would the world look like if God scolded Adam and Eve, hunted down the serpent, left the tree and fruit standing and let them continue living in the Garden of Eden? What would they have learned?
And as most of my posts do, this is NOT what I intended to write at all. I'm going to try to put my thoughts in a series of blog posts over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.
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