The Quest of a Writer: The Beginning: "OPENED EYES & DARKENED HEARTS"

"You're so close-minded."

"You're so naive."

"You're so ignorant!"

I'm willing to bet that if Satan had just whispered one of the above phrases to Eve, she would have eaten the forbidden fruit much faster than when he used his lengthy, wordy, trickery. No one wants to be viewed as dense, close-minded, naive, or ignorant. No one wants to lack anything, especially knowledge. Many of us spend our lives pursuing knowledge of some sort: psychologists want to know more about the human mind, astronomers about space, doctors about medicine and the human body, etc. Adam and Eve pursued knowledge and they got it.

Genesis 3:7--"Then the eyes of both of them were opened..."

If their eyes were opened at the beginning of the human race (thus passing down to all of us), then why are we still spending our lives seeking something more? Why do we still seek knowledge or an "eye-opening" lesson?

Because when our eyes opened back in the glorious greenhouse stage of the world, something in us closed. Something more crucial to our spiritual walks and our existence than knowledge:

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart..." (Eph. 4:17-18)

In the opening of our eyes was the closing of our hearts. Our understanding was darkened. We closed a door to open a window and now we spend the rest of our lives trying to close that window and open the door again.

Often times, in bible studies or church teachings, we mute the importance of the "fall of man". We focus only on the fact that man sinned and jinxed us all (thanks a lot, Adam and Eve). Though their disobedience is important, I think it's more crucial for us to see that the thick cord bonding us to God was reduced to a tiny thread. We closed our hearts and understanding--the two deepest ways that we commune with God. We use understanding in reading and absorbing His Word, and we use our hearts to talk with Him.

Ever heard the phrase, "heart knowledge vs. head knowledge"? You know how that feels, when you know that God exists, but can't seem to make yourself feel that He does? Some call these moments "dry spells" in the Christian walk or "feeling distant from God". That is from the fall of man. Yes, sin entered the world, too and we were kicked out of the garden, but we made it harder on ourselves--harder to connect with our Lord. It's a constant struggle, but there's hope. We always have more to discover about God and it is possible. Adam and Eve were there once--in His presence. I cherish the minutes I get to spend there, and I will live striving to multiply those minutes for the rest of my life. Maybe someday, my understanding will be lightened, and my heart will not longer be blind.