From Suffering to Joy Written “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) When Adam and Eve were in the garden, before they ate from the forbidden tree, everything was dandy. There was no pain, no hurt and no suffering. The garden brought forth fruit for them to eat without toil. The tigers danced, while the rabbits hopped. The lion and the lamb laid down in the shade together, and the Lord Himself walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, enjoying each other and having sweet fellowship. They lived in His joy and in His peace, with want for nothing. But then, one day, Adam and Eve chose to ignore God’s Word, and chose to listen to Satan. They ate from the tree after the Lord had said, “Do not eat from it, because if you do, you will surely die..” (Gen 2:17). And from the moment their teeth sunk into that fruit, they knew something was wrong. A cold wind blew into the garden, for a moment 11
by
Nic Barker
the sun was hidden behind the clouds, and their skin stood on edge as they realised they were naked, and cold. The lamb ran off into the thicket, and the rabbit sprinted for his hole, while the tiger aggressively roared at the lion. Things were different now, death and suffering had been invited in. Adam and Eve hid themselves, their shame going before them. When the Lord eventually came, He called out to them, and they came forth, and confessed their sin to Him. The Father then pronounced a curse over them as a consequence of their disobedience. He said to the woman (Gen 3:16), “You will have severe pains in child birth, and your desire will be for your husband”, and to Adam He said (Gen 3:17-19), “Cursed is the ground before you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life until you return to the dust”. Adam and Eve were then banished from the Garden of Eden and went out into the wilderness, where they endured hardship and suffering. Since then, man has endured hardship and difficulty on earth.
