O.K., Eve?
Yesterday we asked the question, “Adam, where art thou”? In all fairness, let’s look at what God said to Eve:
God said to the Woman, “What is this that you’ve done?”
13 “The serpent seduced me,” she said, “and I ate.”Genesis 3:12-13 (MSG)
If you think Adam was the only one who passed the buck, you can see here, Eve was pretty good at it too. When it comes right down to it, we are all prone to blame someone else for our mistakes, even our sins!
Yes, there was no doubt Adam was not up on his job, but did that give Eve an excuse to entertain a serpent? When our men fall short, what do we do to compensate for their lack of leadership? If you can answer this question with a good answer you could save more than half of the marriages that fail each year. For too often, “Eve” finds something that will make her feel better – and it’s probably not an apple!
How often when you get disturbed, do you go shopping, and if there is no money in the budget, you use the plastic? Or maybe your treat to yourself is going out with the girls, and listen to what they have to say, even if they are single and don’t have a clue? Whatever the remedy that soothes and pacifies, it generally creates a problem within the marriage greater than what you began with.
Let’s face it, we all have work to do, and there is no escape. Whenever there is a relationship problem, it is never just one person that causes a collapse. Even if it is one person who creates it, the response of the other person can either cause it to de-escalate, or escalate! As a woman, I never like to admit this, but I am not always a good “first responder” – I usually need a little time to process before I respond. And, how many of you know, life doesn’t always give you “prep” time?
So, we come to an impasse. Are we going to play the blame game, or are we going to really pray for God to give us a remedy. The challenge comes again when we go to God in prayer:
“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part. Matthew 6:15 (MSG)
No, it’s not a question of whether men or women are the blame – it’s a question of whether both the man and the woman will come to a holy God in prayer, petitioning Him for help in time of need. We must do it, our families are depending upon us!
Maria