“Humility can feel so far away and . . . the idea of dependence on God can freak us out. Our preoccupation with self runs deep. It is so familiar that we don’t even see it. And we can wind up in mental patterns that carry us away from God and from seeing him and everything else rightly — away from humility and all its benefits.”- Joel Muddamalle
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and she ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”- Genesis 3:6 (NIV)
In Chapter 7 (“I Don’t Trust Limits: Pride Continued”) of The Hidden Peace, Joel Muddamalle observes that we often buck against the limits. But, in reality, curiosity without limits eventually leads to some sort of loss.
Therefore, Joel posits, God gave Adam and Eve limits in the Garden of Eden. God established boundaries for them because He knew that curiosity without boundaries spelled trouble. Yet, Joel believes God encouraged Adam and Eve’s curiosity and gave them ways to explore it. Like telling them to name the animals.
However, curiosity got the best of Adam and Eve. So the serpent, Joel points out, positioned himself not as a villain, but as an innocent bystander asking a curious question. First, the serpent provoked Eve’s curiosity in regard to the validity of God’s truth. Next, the serpent denied the consequences of disobedience. In the process, he hooked Eve, wheels turning.
In conclusion, Joel counsels:
“When the genuine curiosity of Eve and Adam hit the boundaries God had established, they had a choice: trust in the goodness and truth of God, or explore beyond God’s boundary lines in case God was not being truthful. . .. All Adam and Eve had to do was allow their God-given curiosity to turn them back to God so they could ask him for wisdom. Instead they let it lead them to sin against him.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help us counter our preoccupation with self? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Curiosity without limits – absurd”