Life was bliss for Adam and his wife. In Eden
They thrived, their communion with Abba blossomed
Creation bloomed until deception sneaked in, a little
White lie that turned all else back and black; guilt
Pounced, accompanied by shame. The once free
And happy, arrested by fear as one lie birthed another
Turning beauty into a beast, and bliss to grief. Losses
Followed struggles and sufferings. Deprivation
Impregnated despair, birthing weakness that matured
To sickness, fruiting diseases known and unknown.
Failure arose and replaced the success story of creation;
Adam shirked, Eve ate, Adam fell and beside him
She landed, none able to find their feet. They crawled,
They ran, they hid as death pursued. Ever since, humanity
Is failing, running and hiding yet unable to get away.
Food For Thought: The greatest enemy of courage is guilt. Guilty conscience is the mother of shame. Take away guilt and there is nothing to be ashamed of. For shame, we will stay away from things we are drawn to. We are not saying no because we don’t want them: all of our being is craving. All we want to do is reach out and take it, eat it, gorge it until we are sick of it so we can walk away and leave what should be left alone. The embarrassment associated with facing God over something we know better about is a vital restraint. The shame of facing our loved ones after the deed has been done is another form of restraint. What people will say and do as a result of what we did, is a restraint. Our esteem and how it will be impacted is a restraint. Just name them, every restraint is associated with shame and every shame is birthed by guilt. Despite the deception that we may not be found out, which encourages many to go ahead, there are those who believe that nothing is hidden under the sun. For the latter, the shame of eventual discovery is their restraint. Individually and collectively, our choices are hinged on the type and strength of the restraints that is dominant in our lives. Like Adam and Eve, some of us still dare those steps despite the restraints and the result of overwhelming guilt is that we run and hide because courage has deserted. May the restraint of eternity upon our souls be strong and visible via our choices. The extreme of that is that people who go ahead again and again, against their better judgment, eventually have their consciences seared. The result is that they lose that sense of shame that guilt bequeaths, a very unfortunate destination: may we hearken to the voices of our consciences.
Scripture: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. . . . Romans 5: 12.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I can see that no man falls alone, because our lives are interconnected, every fall affects others, help me O God, in You and On Your Word, to stand firm and secure, amen.