Whatever you do, don't touch the ...

Tomorrow I get to do my first real-life, in-person, assembly since the 11th of March. Of course, this means that there won't be an assembly video with a spot-the-difference to post here.

This term we're looking at charcters from the Old Testament with a selection of stories taken from the Lion Storyteller Bible written by Bob Hartman and illustrated by Krisztina Kàllai Nagy. I'm starting with 'A Sad Day' - the story of Adam and Eve eating from the tree in the centre of the garden which you can read about in Genesis 3.

Why is it that when we are told not to do something, or not to touch something, or not to go somewhere - suddenly that is the only thing that we want to do? 

If you've got small children (or even not so small children) at home you will not need to be told that this is the case. Take a hot dish out of the oven, put it in the middle of the dinner table, utter the words 'don't touch - it's really hot, I've just taken it out of the oven'. Return to the kitchen to get something else. Count, '1...2...3...' and see how far you get before you hear a cry 'Ouch - that's hot - Dad, I've burnt my finger'. (I'm not suggesting you try this out at home - never leave small children and hot dishes unsupervised.)*

What is it about us? 

Are we afraid that we might miss out on something? 

Don't we trust the person who has just told us 'not to ...'? 

Is there a feeling of 'it's not fair'? 

Do we assume that we know best and therefore we'll be the judge of what we can or can't do? 

Or are we simply rebellious and just don't want to do what we are told?

I expect that it's a mix of all these things - and this is what is going on in this story from Genesis 3. Do I trust God enough to allow him to be the one who says what is good and bad? Do I trust God to know what is best? Do I trust God enough not to think that I'm missing out?

When Peter, in 1 Peter 2:24, talks about dying to sin and living for righteousness - part of that means a daily decision to trust God, to choose to do things God's way rather than my way. And to trust that when God says 'don't...' He really does know best.

*Hopefully this additional line is acceptable to the H&S department.