Why can’t I…?
Why can’t I do…? Who has not had the experience of being with a child who constantly questions the reason why s/he is forbidden to do something? In their ignorance children want to understand why we forbid them from doing things that they find interesting such as touching a hot stove, or inserting an object in the power outlet. They do not have the knowledge required to understand that doing such things is dangerous.
As children we also ask God, ‘Why can’t I do…?’ In a way, when we do this we are doubting God’s intentions and thus repeating the temptation of Eden when we desire to eat the forbidden fruit. For each person the forbidden fruit may have a different name (ambition, sex outside marriage, resentment, etc…). No matter what the name of that fruit is, if it has been forbidden by God the consequences will always be as serious as those suffered by Adam and Eve:
- Expelled from Paradise – the place of perfection prepared by God for the benefit of his children
- Damnation – the loss of access to the tree of life (eternal life)
It is clear that eating the forbidden fruit (disobeying God) has catastrophic consequences for us.
It is possible that we may not understand why certain behaviors are forbidden, but we can trust that God has a good reason for it. If we obey God we will avoid problems and receive blessing.
Let’s remove our sight from the tree with the forbidden fruit, and let’s start to enjoy the fruit of the tree of life available to us through Jesus.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. – John 10:27-28
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