Genesis 2:15-17 – Then God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. He told him, "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of everything. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day."

Isn't it interesting that, even after Eve and Adam ate the fruit in order to know everything, we find that we still don't know much: Why do "bad" things happen to good people? Why do people get old and die? Why do we get sick? Why does my mother have Alzheimer's Disease? Why…?

Yes, we have lots more knowledge about many things, especially in the last century, when 90% of all scientists who ever lived are still alive, and in fields like health, where knowledge doubles every year.

But, most of us realize how very much more there is to learn and unlearn before it might be possible to know why things happen as they do. And most of our knowledge hasn't seemed to help us do other than destroy the beautiful Earth over which we have been given dominion. But God has reasons that are far beyond anything we can imagine.

Perhaps the role of human beings is not to know everything, but to know God by doing what Christ taught us to do: to love one another, and to learn how to listen to the instructions of the Holy Spirit, rather than to listen to our ego. And we need His power to do it in the very short time we are allotted: each moment.

Prayer: Help us to remember to let our love radiate, without concern for the results that we request, but knowing that your will will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Teach us to hear, understand and obey your still small voice within us. Amen.

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About the author:

Lorne White <lwhite@becon.org>
Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada
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