Perfect….and then….
I believe in perfect. I believe that at the very start, God created a perfect world. I cannot imagine the details of that, but I do not doubt that it was perfect. Everything lived in perfect harmony. There was a perfect natural balance between all things. Human relationships were perfect. God had created something perfect and everyone and everything lived in perfect relationship with him.
Of course this is impossible to imagine because it is so far from the truth lived out in our world and relationships today. Never have I created something and been completely happy with it or felt that I could not improve it in any way. I have learnt to live with ‘good enough’ in order to keep functioning and remain sane! But I do believe there was a perfect world and that perfect is possible and that one day, it will all be perfect again. Some days, that is all that gives me the strength to carry on.
The problem is, it seems to me, that humans don’t like being told what to do. We want to be god of our own lives, to be in control, to make our own decisions and do it our own way. The only way we will learn is by our own mistakes. There is no telling us. This rebellion and defiance rises up in me when I hear ‘Everyone clap together now’ or the WiiFit telling me that 8st11lb is the weight I must aim for. This is my life. I know best. I’ll clap when I’m ready. I’ll do it my way.
And then there are our children. They are experts in doing it their own way, even if what we are suggesting really is for the best. My youngest is an expert in defiance. She will say no, even when she is the only one suffering by that decision. She would rather miss out on something wonderful than do the simple thing I am asking of her. It’s all about control. She will not trust me enough to have any control over her life and her decisions.
And so when it comes to God, well, we’re humans after all. We struggle to do what we’re told. It’s all about control. We struggle to trust anyone enough, even the Creator, to have any control over our lives and our decisions.
And so we come to the Fall. The moment of truth. This is a drama I wrote recently based on the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. I tried to imagine what a modern day interpretation of the story might look like. I concentrated on the emotions that may have been in play. I tried to convey the meaning of the event to a teenage audience. Have a read (with an open mind!) and see if you think I succeed.
Introduction: Of course, it is impossible to know how old Adam and Eve were when they ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Some suggest they were eighteen to twenty years old, the age at which young people these days are often just beginning to emerge from the illusion that they always know more and better than their parents. Sometimes this is a gradual process, sometimes a moment of enlightenment. The moment that precedes this conversation also highlights the truth that you can never step back over a line once it has been crossed.
Scene: An older teenage couple are sat slumped across a table in a darkened room. The girl’s T shirt is discarded on the floor. There are a couple of empty test-tubes, syringes and torniquets on the table. The boy starts to come round. He seems disoriented at first, but panic rises as he begins to realise where he is and what he has done.
Adam: Oh no. No no no no no. What have we done? Oh shit, what have we done?
(He reaches across and shakes Eve’s arm) Eve, Eve, wake up. Come on, you have to wake up right now.
Eve: (mumbling) Oh God, leave me a bit longer. I feel like crap. That was some trip, wasn’t it?
Adam: Eve, listen to me. If Dad finds out, when Dad finds out, he is going to kill me. Do you understand? He is actually going to kill me.
Eve: Of course, he won’t. He loves you. You can do nothing wrong in his eyes.
Adam: Well, I have now. We have now. Just look around you. Look at the evidence. We have done the one thing he told us not to do.
Eve: And it was great, wasn’t it? Come on, you’ve got to admit it. It was the best experience ever. Why would he keep that from us anyway?
Adam: That’s not the point. He trusted me with these (takes a big bunch of keys out of his pocket). I have the freedom of the house. He lets me go everywhere. Anywhere. Except here. Oh my God, what are we going to do? What are we going to say?
Eve: Adam. Stop panicking. If your Dad loves you and wants you to have freedom, then he should let you have the freedom to experience all that life has to offer. He shouldn’t hold anything back from you. Parents think they know best all the time, but they don’t. They can’t possibly. We have to be allowed to make our own choices once in a while.
Sounds off set of a door slamming, steps etc and the light is turned on. It hurts their eyes.
Adam: Oh no, he’s home. He’s turned the lights on down here. He’s coming down. Ow, that light is so bright. Get your top on, Eve. You look a mess. He can’t see you like that. He can’t see either of us sat here like this.
Eve: Chill a little, will you. There’s no going back now. What’s done is done. You’re right, he is so not going to be impressed, but he’ll get over it. But in the meantime, I agree. We need to get rid of all this and we need to hide….fast.
Adam: I feel terrible. I feel like I can never face him again. I’ll never be able to look him in the eye now. We had such a good relationship and now I’ve ruined it all. Life is never going to be the same again. I’m never going to be able to make it up to him.
Eve: Stop talking like that. I do understand. I feel the same. He’s always been good to me too, always seemed happy with me and interested in who I was. But we can do this. We’re a team, right? We will get through this together.
(The couple hide under the table as the door opens – sound effect – and freeze.)
Discussion questions
- Does this remind you of an incident in the Bible at all? If so, in what ways?
- Can you relate to this? Have you ever done something that has separated you from your parents in a similar way? What were the consequences?
- What were the consequences of Adam and Eve disobeying God as told in Genesis 3?
- What do you think the consequences will be in this scenario?
- What are the wider, more general consequences of disobeying our parents?
- How does this modern interpretation help us to understand our relationship with God?
Write the conversation between Adam and his father that could follow on from this scene.
