The Island

A mild sea breeze glides over our coast, while waves expire in their fatal quest of pointlessly mocking the sand. The brilliant sun bakes the shoreline as palms stand sentinel over ruby-coated bougainvillea wreaths intertwined beneath them. Nesting terns call out in a timeless song, proclaiming the symphony of life that has been set before us as we methodically wander our beach, periodically dipping our feet into the cool, azure waters that surround us. Is this paradise we explore together? No, that is reserved for another life and another place much better promised and wistfully anticipated; albeit the two of us appear to be in no hurry to get there and claim that waiting shore.

Endlessly we tread amongst ever-changing dunes, sometimes swatting at sand flies, sometimes growing tired of the diet we subsist upon. Sometimes we take for granted the beauty of the moment, and sometimes we long for things that may possibly be better than those we have. Yet always we wander together.

We are never alone, even when chance or circumstances happen to find us subtly removed from each other’s side.

How did we get here? What cosmic events superseded our existence here, on this, the island we share? Was it chance or merely blind luck that carved our small atoll out of the sea and placed us upon it? We both know the answer and it brings us hope, a hope that is beyond simply ‘necessary’ if we are to face our remaining tomorrows. It is many things, this island, but it is also our island, and we do our best to ‘own it’ by the way we live our lives together. It’s not always easy. Sometimes there are storms that lash out at us from the sea, and pirates have been known to prowl these waters. I think about this as I watch you cautiously avoid stepping on a crab that is bent on crossing our path. You smile at me and it is a smile I will never grow tired of. There are no storms today, no Jolly-Rogers lurking on the horizon.

Some say our island is boring, and while that may or may not be true of their own island, this one keeps us content. Others have advised us to spruce up our island by adding a condo or two - maybe plant a different flora to the gardens we painstakingly tend. But why change what we know to be perfect? Why should we alter the things that make us both happy?

The wind blows your hair and I watch your eyes. I follow your gaze beyond the ever encircling dunes, time in this instance, creeping toward us with little remorse for what it holds in store for the two of us. Yet we walk among them unafraid, those monolithic waves of time. They can’t be stopped, and as with all things once feared, the marching sands have been melded into an acceptable compromise by both of our hearts.

Your hand in mine, something expected and yet treasured still by my heart. Always. Eternal.

Twenty-two years is a long time on an island. We’ve explored most of her reaches together and conquered or laid claim to the better part of it. But oh, there are still places that remain uncovered, and paths that have yet to be trod. They are out there waiting for us, calling our names, offering us an opportunity to avoid the mundane and seek treasures that for now are still hidden there. Together we’ll find them. We will.

When the day comes (as surely it will) to signal an end to our time on this magnificent island called marriage, my biggest hope will be to abandon it together and vacate its seamless perfection via the same vessel. You see, this wonderful place with all of its beauty would be unlivable for me if you were not around to share it with. Besides, another destination surely awaits us.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Jeebies

A soft, warm breeze emanated across the field and over the dark waters of the small mountain lake. The sky promised much sought after rain; pregnant cumulonimbus clouds garnering up their courage to compete against an Aztec sun.

It was not a quiet afternoon, at least not at this point in time. The mid-September day with its heat and associated humidity bore much more of a semblance to Faulkner, and much less so to Frost. The primeval woods were filled with the sounds of four-wheelers belching acrid blue oil-smoke and barking Labrador retrievers, of men guffawing to each other over stories well told - the very songs of our lives. I sat on a make-shift bench; a stump seemingly placed by nature in that particular location and perfect for me to discover. Meanwhile, my watering eyes were squinting upward to a sky that mocked me for not remembering the sunglasses I had left back in the truck. I cradled the borrowed Benelli across my lap and began using all of my engineering skills in an effort to ascertain how to load it. Some say (and with authority) that it is a fool’s game to hunt birds with a borrowed weapon, especially one you have never proven against your own shoulder. But our current state of travel in the aftermath of 9-11 makes this more and more the only option available for those of us who visit far away fields and valleys in pursuit of prey.

The yelps of one or more of the dogs announced the arrival of the first bird; a brown speck interspersed with vivid color now screeching across the lake, and as luck would have her say on the matter, in my general direction. I stood and shouldered the 12-gauge, squinting against the sunlight and picked out the bird against the camouflage of the horizon. The first shot was high, and I had time for only a few intemperate thoughts about sunglasses as I pumped the next shell into the chamber and corrected my aim. The next round was true and I was rewarded with an explosion of feathers as the bird dropped into the lake in front of me. 'Jeebies’ the Lab was airborne over the deep water before I could lower the gun, a high-dive plunge from the four-foot bluff that is a rare thing of beauty and proves even harder to describe to those who have never witnessed it. He retrieved the bird and swam to a point where he could vacate the lake, whining as he dropped the bird at my feet.

“Good boy, Jeebs” I caressed his neck and ears. “That’s a really good boy!” He wagged his tail in acknowledgment that scratches to his ears and the cheerful comments sufficed as paid in full for his job well-done. Then he ambled back over to the edge of the barren field in anticipation of his next call for duty. I had met him earlier in the day for the first time, but as with most dogs, we shared an instant bond. There was nothing magical associated with our new friendship, I mean, had I fallen into the water I seriously doubt he would have dove right in after me to save my life. He might have. Yet you can feel those sorts of things with dogs, an almost accidental kinship, if you are a dog person. I am so inclined.

They live only in the moment and for the moment, do dogs. If you want to express a quadratic equation or discuss the laws of thermodynamics, forget it. It’s not their bag. If you want to voice your opinion on social relationships or politics, well, that won’t work with them either. They could care less for our silly little nuances as well as the other frivolous things we seem to try and wrap our utmost significance around. Drop a bird in front of them, however, and a well trained Lab knows exactly what he or she should do. Call it their niche in life, or calling, but they know it and never doubt themselves in the process. We frail human beings could stand to learn a thing or two from a dog. We worry or fret over the little things, and can completely lose our minds over the bigger things we face in life. Our mortgages, careers, our mutual funds and 401k plans, even the Saints… In doing so we often forget what we are here for and what our purpose is meant to be in life. I think Jeebies helped me remember, and for that I owe him much more than a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears.

Ah, Shannon, you say, it is because you were in the woods and had time to reflect on life. No, I was actually worried about my aim failing as I am now older, or not bringing home enough birds to brag about or treat my family with. I was worried about snakes and hornet nests, the possibilities of alligators (slim), or wrenching a knee while crossing the rugged terrain. The forest served only to replace my mundane, daily fears with new ones I seldom encounter. The dog reminded me that I simply must live life and ‘do what I do’ when those fears accost me. And what I do best is depend on the One who is bigger than I. In Him I find peace and rest. In Him I find the strength to face those things in life that I can’t help but fear the most.

And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Luke 12:25-27

Sin Enters The World

Youth Sunday School Lesson – 9/19/10

This week we’ll be talking about the entrance of sin into the world, and of course we’ll be in the Book of Genesis as are all of our lessons during this quarter. Two weeks ago we discussed how G_d created the world, and last week we learned how man was created in His image. In order to set the stage for this Sunday’s lesson, we must remember that everything was perfect at this time on the earth. G_d walked and talked with Adam and Eve on a daily basis, the garden was the ultimate place to be, and the man and woman lived without fear of anything bad ever happening to either of them.

You probably already know the story of the serpent, and how Satan used the serpent to trick Eve as well as Adam. I’m sure you remember from earlier classes when you were small how they were kicked out of the garden and how life changed for them afterward. But this week we are going to look at things in a different light, and in a perspective that may just teach us a little more about the choices we make in our own lives. The essence of this story (found in Genesis 3) is the contrast between what is truthful and what is a lie. Jesus told us in John 8: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The truth Jesus speaks about will indeed make us free, but before it does so, we must first believe in that truth.

Our story opens with Eve being faced with a temptation to eat the fruit of a forbidden tree by the serpent. Temptation is a very important part of this story, but there is a lot more to be considered here than merely ‘she was tempted and she gave in to it.’ If you’ll remember from last week, G_d had placed a special tree in the garden they were not to eat from. This one simple command from G_d was all that Adam was held accountable for during this time, and he had obviously already explained this to Eve when she arrived at this point of our story.

Satan, through the serpent, calls what G_d commanded her to do into question. The first thing we should notice here are the lies propagated by the serpent. He begins by asking Eve if G_d had told them they could eat from every tree in the garden. What he did here was to begin their conversation by asking her about G_d’s Word in a casual manner, and by verifying what she already knew to be the truth. Eve answered that G_d had told them they could in fact eat from every tree in the garden except one, but if they ate from that particular tree they had been told by G_d they would die. With an opening from Eve, Satan had the opportunity to do what he does best; he began to lie to her. Jesus reminds us that all lies come from Satan, as he is the father of lies. He (through the serpent) tells her that she won’t really die, thus calling into her mind a question as to the validity of G_d’s Word. As this point simmers in her mind, he also tells her that G_d is holding back something wonderful from her and Adam - that if they eat from the tree they will become something special. In fact, he tells her that they will become ‘like gods’ if they will simply eat the fruit from the forbidden tree.

If you look closely (and I hope you will) you can find three lies from the devil that are still being used on all of us today. First, he questions G_d’s Word: “Hath G_d said?” As young Christians we should know what the Bible tells us to do and not to do. And we should not be drawn into a debate on topics that question G_d’s Word by anyone, least of all Satan himself. It provides an opening for doubt in our hearts, and once Satan senses that first small crack in our armor, he can use his other lies to trap us and control us.

Secondly he comes right out and tells her that G_d is a liar. He tells her “Ye shall not surely die.” The Creator has no reason to lie and will never lie. He is Holy. You can take His Word to the bank, and the aftermath of the story proves this out for us. As a result of sin entering into the world, we all eventually die. Death is not a result of poor medicine, bad choices, or by accident. Death is a result of sin in our world. The Book of Hebrews plainly states this: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Because of sin, we all have an appointment with death at some time in our future.

Thirdly, Eve is told that she will become like G_d if only she will eat the fruit of this tree. This last lie from the devil is very much still in use today in our modern society, and it is easy to see it if you look for it. We as a culture feel we no longer need G_d because we are as smart as G_d and as wise as G_d. We’ve invented electricity, harnessed the atom, and have iPods and computers to play with. We treat our Creator as if He is merely a distraction instead of Someone we will be accountable to on Judgment Day.

Once the three lies from Satan are pondered by Eve, it becomes a question of her will versus G_d’s will for her life. In the end, the seeds planted by Satan and watered by her own free will bear the final fruit of sin entering into the world. We’ve had our sinful nature with us from that moment forward.

Finally, sin cannot be cured by taking a pill or even by living your life as a good person. The only cure for sin is the cure that G_d provided when He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for us on Calvary. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are freed from the penalty of sin. When we die, it is not the end for us – we have eternity waiting for us in a place where there will be no more sin.

Questions For Class

1. Does Satan still use the same lies on us today? Explain.
2. In verse 6, what things did Eve notice that caused her to finally give in to temptation? Are we still faced with these things today in our own lives?
3. What was Eve’s specific punishment?
4. What was Adam’s specific punishment?
5. In what way were both Adam and Eve punished?