The Marvelous Message

As we go back to the first garden, where deception and iniquity was introduced, we find the manner in which mankind is plagued with temptation. The serpent first causes Eve to question the command of God (“Yea, hath God said...”) and then magnifies confusion by exaggerating the truth (“...you shall not eat of every tree?”). But her response to the devil’s prodding was an interesting one: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” (Genesis 3:2b-3) You can’t touch it? Somehow, Eve took the command of God much further. God told them simply to not consume the fruit, but she had to throw in an ethereal, made up preference of not touching it! Now, someone may think that this is even better because it is more like a safeguard, but if there is anything that I know about mankind and standards, it’s that we easily manage to ...

 It is a joyful thing to see your children eager to pray or bless a meal. The words they speak are often simple, even at times off kilter, yet they are full of faith. For us learned and cynical adults, we cannot help but marvel, when we examine the heart of hope in a child. For example, out of all the public prayers that I have heard over the years, one in particular stands out above the rest. It is from my middle child, Elliot. Obviously, since I am his dad, I am thrilled that he chooses to pray sometimes before we have a family meal, but it is the content of his prayer that intrigues me the most. I have heard some children belt out a lyrical rhyme before a meal, others will bless every living thing before blessing the meal, and then there are some who will say a few incoherent words and then silently look at an adult, seeking a nod of approval to end the prayer. Strangely enough, I don’t remember teaching Elliot exactly what to say when he prays over food. All I remember is th...