In the same way it only took a few words from the serpent for Eve to take the fruit, it only takes a little nudge from the world or a whisper from the evil one to make us doubt that God truly knows what is best for us.
We all know the story of Adam and Eve. How the serpent deceived Eve and they ate from the tree that God had told them not to eat from. As children, I believe we see this story as one of disobedience. Though that is true, I now see this as being a story of trust as well. In Genesis 3:3 we see that God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree, or even touch it. But they did not trust that God knew what was best for them.
Why do we have such a hard time trusting God? In the same way it only took a few words from the serpent for Eve to take the fruit, it only takes a little nudge from the world or a whisper from the evil one to make us doubt that God truly knows what is best for us. I fall into this trap far too often. The cool thing is, God sent us a gift to restore the trust that was broken in the garden. He sent Jesus! Once again saying, “Trust Me, I know what is best for you.” As Christmas approaches, I am reminded of just how special the gift of Jesus is.
I don’t remember all the Christmas gifts I’ve ever received, but one in particular was a jambox, also known as a boombox. And I don’t mean the jambox wireless Bluetooth speaker of today. I’m talking about the retro, vintage jambox that had AM/FM radio and a dual cassette tape player. Yeah, some of you know what I’m talking about. At the time, this was a “cool” thing to have! I don’t have that jambox anymore. It stopped working, became outdated and useless. However, the gift of Jesus will not rust or fade. He won’t break. He doesn’t lose His “coolness.” This gift is eternal. And even though sometimes I choose to listen to that whisper from the world, God tells me again and again, “Trust Me! I know what is best for you.”
Over the years I have loved reading the Jesus Storybook Bible with my kids, especially at Christmas time. I love the way it points to Jesus from the very beginning. Even in the story of Adam and Eve and their choice to eat the forbidden fruit, it points us to Jesus by saying, “God loved his children too much to let the story end there. God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: ‘It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! I’m coming back for you!’ And He would. One day, God himself would come.”
This Christmas, choose to accept the Gift of Jesus. Choose to trust that He is good and what He says is true. And, as it says in the Jesus Storybook Bible, “He loves us with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Alway and Forever Love.”
