Have you ever wondered why God would create a tree and place it in the middle of paradise, but not allow Adam and Eve to eat from it? Why would God make it possible to mess up? Wouldn’t it have been better if the option to sin were never even there? God, why put the tree there if it would cause so many problems?

I’ve often wondered this. Why mess up paradise with the ability to sin? What was the point?

Well, it was CHOICE. Free will is only free when there is an opportunity to do as much bad as there is good. Free will must include a choice. God desired for his greatest creation to choose him from their own free will, so he designed an opportunity to listen and obey him, or not. Unfortunately for us, Adam and Eve chose to not listen. But, the truth is, we would have all done the same. If you’ve ever made a wrong choice in your entire life, if you’ve ever messed up, then you would have eaten the apple too, my friend.

But do you realize there are actually two trees in the middle of the garden where Adam and Eve were? There wasn’t just the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, but there was another tree, the tree of life. The tree of life offered eternal life to live forever. The fruit of this tree was not off limits, it was fully available. But the other tree which held the knowledge of good and evil was the one and only limitation given to them.

One thing, Adam, don’t eat from that tree. And Adam, tell Eve too. Tell her not to eat from that tree, it will change everything.

But, they fail. The temptation to do what they were told not to do is too great and they eat that fruit. Suddenly, their eyes are opened and shame comes into the world for the first time.

The other tree stood untouched, the tree that offered life forever. Instead they chose to eat from the tree that brought guilt, shame and regret. It was the first sin. Sin is choosing what we think we want in life over what truly gives life. And guess what … we’re still doing it today. We’re still choosing the wrong tree. We’re still choosing the things that aren’t good for us. We’re still making messes. We’re still leaving the offering of true and abundant life just hanging on the branch.

The first mistake was not filling up on the good stuff. They could have been so full eating from the tree of life that there was no room for the forbidden fruit from the other tree.

The second mistake was eating the fruit they were told not to eat.

The third mistake was hiding in shame. Genesis 3:8, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.”

Shame was never part of God’s plan. Hiding from him was not the design of his masterpiece. But that’s what sin did. And that’s what sin still does. When we do what we know is wrong, we hide.

My grandson is 3. When he gets quiet, we know there’s a problem. He’s either eating play-dough, drawing on a wall, or sneaking candy. He hides when he’s doing something wrong. Here we are, grown women, essentially hiding while we eat play-dough. Sneaking around hoping no one finds out. Pulling away from God because of the guilt we feel within.

But imagine if Adam and Eve wouldn’t have hidden. Imagine if they would have ran straight to God after that first bite and said, “Oh no, we messed up! Help us!”

Imagine if we did that! Wouldn’t everything change?

The first mistake was not filling up on the tree of life. The emptiness created space for what wasn’t good for them.

The second mistake was choosing to do what they knew was wrong.

The third mistake was hiding in shame.

Now, their fourth mistake was casting blame.

Genesis 3: 9-13, “The the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’
He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’
‘Who told you that you were naked?’ the Lord God asked. ‘Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?’
The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit and I ate it.’
(Not only is Adam blaming Eve, but he’s blaming God because God is the one who gave him this woman who messed things up. Hmmmmm, I wonder if we do that too?)
Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’
‘The serpent deceived me’ she replied. ‘That’s why I ate it.’

The first sin was also the first opportunity to confess and repent. The first sin was the first opportunity for forgiveness. But shame caused them to hide and blame.

Girls, now that we know better, we can do better.

It’s not IF you mess up, it’s WHEN you mess up, don’t hide in shame. Don’t pull away from God. And don’t cast blame on anything or anyone else. Take responsibility for your choices.

God gave you choices knowing you would surely screw them up. But he’s given you a greater power than shame. He’s given you GRACE.

My friend, you are covered in the GRACE of Jesus. No, you don’t deserve it – and no, you can’t earn it, but it’s given to you anyway. His grace covers your guilt and shame and draws you back into him.

Grace says there’s no one to blame. Grace says stop retelling the story. Grace says you messed up, but you’re still worthy because of Jesus.

We’re still choosing the wrong tree, leaving the offering of true life often untouched while we chase after temptations and earthly pursuits. But the offering is still here for us. LIFE. Will we choose it?

Adam and Eve were banished from the garden because of their choice. Could they have stayed if they would have sought forgiveness instead of hiding in shame and blaming away the guilt? Think about it. Could sin have been stopped right there?

God saw their hearts would not turn to him, so they had to leave the garden and lose their opportunity to eat from the tree of life. God said in verses 22-24, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever! So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”

They could have eaten from the tree of life and lived forever, but they chose the wrong tree.

Now, here’s what’s really amazing. We read of this tree of life again at the very end of our Bible where we’re told of what awaits us in Heaven. In the last chapter of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 1-2, “The angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything.”

The tree of life is there for us!!!! The offering for eternal life hasn’t been taken away from us. It will heal us. There’s no curse on anything!

BUT, IT’S STILL A CHOICE. Just like it was a choice for Adam and Eve, it’s a choice for us.

If we will eat from the tree of life, living in God’s right ways, we will be filled to overflowing and there won’t be room for the forbidden things. If we fill up on God, Satan won’t have space to trick us.

There’s a tree of life and it’s available to you today. Come eat of it’s fruit. Get filled up on the good stuff so there’s no room for the offering of the enemy. Eternal life is in the offering.

And when you mess up, which you will, don’t hide in shame and don’t cast blame. Seek forgiveness. You don’t have to run from God. He kinda knew you would get it wrong sometimes. But he still offers the tree of life to you. Make your choice. Which do you choose today?

God offers us good things, and he also gives us the ability to really mess it up. We can ruin today with the wrong choices. We can ruin our opportunities. We can ruin our blessings. There’s a choice. The choice begins with the tree. Will you choose the tree of life and turn away from what is wrong?

Grace continually invites us back.

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