Behold the Lamb (Day 2)
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Today, we read the next story in the book entitled "The Terrible Lie." The kids learned that the "Terrible Lie" was when the snake told Adam and Eve that they couldn't trust God to be good to them. The first man and the first woman chose to believe the snake instead of God and disobeyed God's "one rule." "And terrible pain came into God's heart. His children hadn't just broken the one rule; they had broken God's heart. They had broken their wonderful relationship with Him. And now He (God) knew that everything else would break. God's creation would start to unravel, and come undone, and go wrong. From now on everything would die- even though it was supposed to last forever (JSB, pg 33)."
The Jesus Storybook Bible points out that because of the "Terrible Lie," God's children would always question God's love for them. They would always wonder if they could trust God. The would always be running from God and hiding from Him. But, "God loved His children too much to let the story end there (JSB, pg 36)." God told His children that one day He would come back for them and do battle with the snake. God still had a plan and nothing would stop His "never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love" that He had for His children.
After the story time, we did an "experiment" involving marshmallows. I gave each kid one giant marshmallow and told them to wait to eat it. If they could wait to eat until I told them that they could eat it, then I would give them a second marshmallow. But, if they ate the marshmallow before the timer went off, then they wouldn't get another one. The kids were asked to weigh their knowledge of their mom- could I be trusted to give them the second marshmallow? Could I be trusted not to take away the marshmallow if they waited? Did I really love them and want what was best for them? (yes, I know sugar isn't "the best"...)
While they were eating their marshmallows, I talked to them about how the marshmallow was kind of like the fruit on the forbidden tree. God told them not to eat it and promised them every good thing for obeying Him. Adam and Eve could have had fellowship with God, all His provisions, and eternal life if they had trusted God. Instead, they listened to a Terrible Lie about God. And, nothing would ever be the same.
The question hanging in the air was this: How could God punish sin without punishing people? How would God answer the Terrible Lie? Is God good? Can He be trusted?
The question hanging in the air was this: How could God punish sin without punishing people? How would God answer the Terrible Lie? Is God good? Can He be trusted?
*The marshmallow experiment is a modification of a test first done in the 1960's. The researcher found that children who were able to hold out for the second marshmallow did better in "life," had better relationships, and made better decisions when they grew up than the group that desired instant communication. With attachment theory gaining momentum, this experiment has been done several other times. One researcher found that kids who came from unstable backgrounds and who had trouble trusting adults were more likely to not wait for the second marshmallow than those with healthy attachments who trusted adults to keep their word. Interesting, right?
**No, God does not tempt us. The tree in the Garden wasn't a temptation- it was a boundary.**
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