It Comes With a Price

Doing the right thing is not always the same as doing the easy thing. In fact, rarely in life are we given a task to do that is not also accompanied by consequences. They are not always bad. Some of what we do the consequences are so minimal as to allow us to forget, or not not heed them in the least. Yet now and then we are presented with a task, or a choice, which causes us to reconsider the ways in which we see the world.

Eve, the mother of us all, was presented with such a task. A monumental decision which led to the birth of all mankind. When you read the account of the creation, do you put yourself in Eve's 'shoes'? Do you imagine what your response would be if such a choice was placed before you?

The following is an excerpt from Jo Ann Skousen's book Matriarchs of the Messiah 2nd Edition.

Drawing closer, Eve “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). Its promise of wisdom and knowledge was powerful. She instinctively feared this thing called “death,” but the serpent beguiled her, reassuring her that they would not die. Carefully considering the consequences, Eve made her decision. She and Adam had been obedient to all that God had commanded them; they had never actively broken a law. But they had passively violated the first commandment—they would not be fully obedient until they had multiplied and replenished the earth. Eve could think of no other way to accomplish this great goal. In her mind and in her heart, it was a risk worth taking. She would transgress the second commandment they were given in the Garden to obey the first.

Eve reached for the fruit. Its flesh felt ripe and pliant to her touch. Its aroma was so sweet it nearly made her dizzy. She hesitated as she looked once more at the nice, lovely Garden. Then she thought of her holy calling of motherhood. Those children—all of humankind—could only come to earth as a result of this transgression. Courageously she forged ahead and bit into the fruit that would transform her body and plunge her into mortality. She swallowed the succulent juice. It truly was delicious, but it came with a price. Already her mind began to understand the consequences of her action. She would no longer be allowed to live in Eden. Because of her choice, she would be cast out.

Drawing closer to the women in the scriptures who placed the will of God above their own desires to choose the easy path can give us the courage to do the same. Their lives live on through us as we draw closer to them and remember that they were real women with real struggles and our similarities are greater than our differences.

The above was taken from the book Matriarchs of the Messiah: Valiant Women in the Lineage of Jesus Christ by Jo Ann Skousen and is currently available at cedarfort.com.