I Thought I Wanted It - Martin Wiles

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” Genesis 3:1 NKJV

The one thing I thought I wanted was the one thing I wasn’t supposed to have.

My husband and I lived in a beautiful garden with every kind of fruit and vegetable we could imagine. Water rose from the ground each night and watered everything. No weeds or insects ate away at the things in our garden. No grass where it shouldn’t be. Everything was perfect … pristine. 

Every evening, God showed up to talk with us. We couldn’t see Him, but we knew He was there. We could feel Him in a way we couldn’t feel anything else. We loved our little walks and talks.

My husband and I loved our little garden—it actually wasn’t that small. It seemed to go on forever. God gave us one rule: we couldn’t eat fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We didn’t understand why, but surely one rule wouldn’t be that hard to follow so we didn’t question Him.

As I picked fruit one day—not alone, but my husband was in another section of the garden—a serpent appeared … and talked. “Did God really say you couldn’t eat fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?” he hissed.

“Yes, He did,” I answered.

“There’s nothing wrong with eating from it. God just doesn’t want you to know everything as He does.”

The one thing God hadn’t given my husband and me: complete knowledge as He had. I wanted it. Imagine being able to know all things, not just what we discovered on our own or what God told us.

So, I ate. As soon as I took the first bite, I knew I had messed up. And I blew it further when I offered my husband a bite and he took it.

Things changed between us and God after that. God had warned us about temptation, but I thought I was strong enough on my own to handle it. I found out differently, although too late. God kicked us out of the garden. Our work changed. Weeds grew. Childbirth hurt. My relationship with my husband changed.

What I thought I wanted I really didn’t. What I wanted was for things to return to the way they were. Although God booted us out of the garden, He forgave our foolishness. Then and every time thereafter. God didn’t send the tempter or make me give in. I should have depended on God. He would have shown me the way out. After my first mistake, I discovered that.

I’m sure I’ll mess up again. It’s my nature to want what I shouldn’t … things that aren’t good for me … things that will wreck my walk with God. But no matter how often I mess up, I know God will always forgive and give me another chance.

Prayer: Father, give us the desire to want what You want for us, but thank You for forgiving us when we don’t.

Tell us about something you thought you wanted. 

Tweetable: What are you wanting, but shouldn't? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.