Abundance

I’ve been thinking about the story of Adam and Eve recently. One of the first questions people often ask is: Did it really happen? Doesn’t this story conflict with science? But that question may not take us very far. What if we asked a different question? What if, instead of focusing only on origins, we asked: What deeper truths is this story trying to tell us?

The first two chapters of Genesis describe blessing upon blessing. There is an overwhelming sense of the goodness of God—the goodness of a Creator who filled the universe with light and life, who made human beings and blessed them with abundant food, fulfilling work, and the gift of each other.

The ancient writer of Genesis was telling us something fundamental about being human—what it means to live in relationship with God and one another. The story reminds us that we have been blessed beyond measure. Yet it also teaches that even in abundance, there are limits to what is life-giving, healthy, and good.

Think about this: Adam and Eve are surrounded by beauty and bounty. And the serpent says, “Hey… You could have even more…”

It’s tempting to think, My life will be better when… When I get my driver’s license. When I land that job. When I retire. Or, My life would be better if… If I got the promotion. If we had a bigger house. If I got into that school…

The problem is, there is always another “if,” always another “when.” I struggle with this as much as anyone—ever grasping for the next fruit, the next thing. And the only antidote I know is to cultivate gratitude for the blessings that surround me right now.

Will you pray with me? Gracious God, we so easily become anxious and grasping, taking more than we give. Give us eyes to see, and hearts to appreciate, the goodness and beauty all around us—right here, right now. Help us not to miss the life unfolding before us in this moment. And as we do, may we be filled with your peace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.