February 26

Genesis 2:15-17

The Lord God took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to farm it and to take care of it. The Lord God commanded the human, “Eat your fill from all of the garden’s trees; but don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because on the day you eat from it, you will die!”

The story of the Bible doesn’t get very far before introducing a tension. That’s an understatement; it’s actually not even two full chapters into the first book. God creates a human out of the earth, places that human in a lush garden, and calls him to care for and cultivate the land. This first human is a co-creator with God, a holy mixture of soil and spirit. What could possibly go wrong? Enter the tension. This human is offered the generous bounty of the garden, except for this one particular tree. The fruit of this tree is off limits because it is destructive. This is the tension with which we humans live. We can pursue that which brings life and fulfillment or that which takes away life and ultimately brings pain. The season of Lent is about this choice, about acknowledging the ways we’ve chosen the path that moves us away from living our most abundant life, and listening to the call of the Spirit as it invites us toward that which makes us fully alive.

Take some time to reflect on this tension between that which brings you life and that which takes it from you. How are you fulfilling your role as a co-creator with God, and what gets in the way of your participation?