Thou Shall Not Scream

During a visit with the grandchildren (Ben 5, Alexandra & Brianna 3), we had occasion to go by Ben’s preschool. My daughter ran in to see the teacher for a few minutes, leaving me in the car with the children. Now, every household has “family rules” and one of my daughter’s rules is: no screaming in the car. This rule is usually followed…with one big exception….when their mom isn’t IN the car, they figure that the rule doesn’t apply! No sooner had she disappeared into the school doorway, than Bri took the plunge and let out a whopper…eyes wide with delight, she shrieked unmercifully, nearly exploding my ears! Soon her sister Alex let loose and big brother, not to be outdone by the little ones, jumped in with gusto. Fortunately, my gloves helped me keep my remaining hearing in tact as I stuffed them into my ears, enduring several minutes of their enthusiastic harmonics. No telling what damage they were doing to themselves! I was especially grateful to see their mom appear soon so we could go back to a state where “house rules” rule!
Enjoying the memory later, it occurred to me that this was just the picture of original sin….Eve (and Adam) knew the “house rules”. But the minute God was out of sight and someone (the devil himself, in this case) drew their attention to that fact and threw temptation out, Eve marched onto dangerous ground, eyes wide open with delight . And Adam fell right in behind, unmindful of the true peril, just as my grandchildren were unaware of the auditory damage they could be causing themselves. The Bible tells us that we are sinners because of Adam and Eve…it is their legacy to the rest of mankind. Instead of man getting better and better as the intellectuals of our day proclaim, we are as vulnerable to being our own worst enemy as Adam and Eve were. Our sin nature is part of the human “package“…I am so thankful that God loves us so much that He made a way to get “rewrapped”! In robes of righteousness, thanks to the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ in dying for our sin. Romans 5:17-18 puts it this way: It is true that through the sin of one man death began to rule…but how much greater is the result of what was done by the one man, Jesus Christ. So then, as the one sin condemned all mankind, in the same way the one righteous act sets all mankind free and gives them life. Through Him, grace can take over as the “house rule“!
Ó H. J B February 2002