Isn't that a children's story?

I look forward to MOMS every Thursday! I love the fellowship, the food, and especially the awesome truths I learn from God's Word. Today was no exception. We studied Genesis 2 and 3 today. Its often referred to as "The Fall of Man." I heard one of the ladies at my table say, "Isn't that a children's story?" She was joking but its kind of true. Most of us have heard the creation story and the story of the fall of man so many times that we look right past it. Well, today I heard this story in a whole new way! 

I've never thought about how amazing life must have been for Adam and Eve before "the fall." They had the entire world to themselves, all the best fruits and vegetables, endless amounts of free time, no sense of shame even though they walked around naked all the time, they frolicked in the gardens with the animals and spent time with their Creator every day. It must have been so wonderful! Then, here comes the serpent, just trying to mess it all up. Adam and Eve didn't even care about the forbidden fruit. They were completely satisfied until the Father of Lies entered the scene and started implying that God was treating them unfairly. Eve began to waver in her trust and decided that she knew what was best for her and Adam. So, without realizing what she was doing, she ate of the fruit and shared it with her husband. God had warned them that they would die if they ate the fruit and although their physical bodies did not die, their life of freedom and the intimacy they shared with God were immediately destroyed. They heard God walking in the garden and they panicked as He called out to them. They scurried and rushed to sew leaves together because they were ashamed of their nakedness and they hid from God. The "fall of man" had occurred and it would affect every person for the rest of time. Can you imagine how Eve and Adam must have felt? They lived in paradise but suddenly their eyes are opened and they begin to experience evil. The shame that settled over them must have been terrifying because they had never felt it before. They must have been horrifed, worried, and desperate to go back to the way things were before.

Its easy for us to say that we wouldn't have made the same decision that Eve made but in reality, we do it all the time. Every time we let someone talk us into doing something we shouldn't do or put ourselves above others or rush into something without prayerfully seeking God's will, we are deciding that we know what is best instead of God. Eve had never been tempted before and she messed up. We are tempted everyday. We should have figured this thing out by now but still, we mess up too. 

We didn't read Genesis 3:21 today but as I read over it tonight, I am amazed by it. It says,"The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." Adam and Eve disobeyed the one command God had given them but not only did He allow them to stay alive, He sought them out in the garden, talked with them and then clothed them. He knew what they had done before they did it but He still desired a relationship with them so He walked through the garden and talked with them. He could have just wiped the slate clean and started over, but He didn't. He loved them, He pursed them, and then He clothed them. Their nakedness caused a great deal of shame for them but He covered them. What an amazing thought. We mess up all the time, just like Adam and Eve. We live in shame and guilt but Genesis 3:21 shows that even the sin that caused "the fall of man" wasn't enough to end God's love for His children. He clothed them and took away at least some of their shame. He does the same for us. We mess up over and over again but He continues to pursue us. He covers us with the blood of the lamb and takes away our shame. Oh, how He loves us.

Today I am thankful that God pursues me, talks with me, and covers me with the blood of Jesus. He could walk away from me at any time but He doesn't. He could say, "That's enough, you've done too much this time," but He doesn't. He is so faithful, so loving, and so forgiving. I am also grateful for MOMS. I leave each week with a heart full of excitement over God's Word. The teachers have helped make those "children's stories" much more meaningful than they've ever seemed before.