The apple.............

It all started with the apple..........

You know the story, Adam and Eve and their idea of doing it "their way" and then playing the "blame game". Everybody knows how that game works as I'm sure we have all played it at some point in our lives. However, you would think we would learn the rules to know that the game of blame never pans out. Here we go again, accepting our own reality.....That word ACCEPT sometimes gets on my nerves.

I really like apples and I try to eat one once a day. I have played that game many times too and yet I too have not learned the end result of blaming because I tend like most of us to think that the situation is not always created by ourselves, we only respond to it because we have no other choice. NOT TRUE!!!!!

The given reality is in fact we were given a choice, a free will, as you would say, by our Father to choose right from wrong. So, if the going gets tough and events go not as planned it is probably due to the choices made along the way that presented themselves to us and how we responded to them.

I admit there are certain unforeseeable events that take place in our lives that were not our choice, for instance, disease, natural disasters and the like. But our daily comings and goings are all but a way in which we chose to extend ourselves to people and events.

I try to teach this concept to my children and it sometimes works with children, at least I have had success, but the concept is something you can not teach them when they are adults. It is their decision. They have to own this concept and we as parents will not always be there constantly guiding and persuading them to say "NO" to something that they are saying "YES" to because it is ultimately "THEIR" choice. Parents have an influence their children's daily choices and we carry hope that one day they will take our insight and use it during their adult lives. Hence, I said "THEIR" adult lives (it is not ours once they are adults). It is very hard to let go of them and their choices, but we have to let go. We have to let them go so they can rely on God.

A good note; we will always be their parents, loving, guiding and helping them with the decisions they have made, good or bad, and supporting them to get them back on track to making good decisions. What we really want is to have them all happy. It is hard to see our adult children make unnecessary detours in their lives and it is very hard to support them when what we really want to say is "I told you so!

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Lets think back how many times our heavenly Father has supported us and how he keeps taking us back. Could we ever be so forgiving and loving as a parent?

Adam and Eve made a mistake. They paid for their mistake as they were never to enter the garden again. They disappointed their Father and they had to face the consequence. Even though Eve tried to blame the serpent and Adam blamed Eve the whole apple thing was their choice.

Our Father has taught us this lesson to use in our daily lives. He wants us to be close to him so we will know what he wants and ultimately be a servant of his. If we come to know him in an intimate fashion then we will also know that he will never leave our side, always guarding and guiding us towards him.

Have an apple today..................... but lead us not into temptation.