The other day I was digging dandelions out of the rock garden. It’s not that I don’t like dandelions, I just don’t want any in the rock garden. Dandelions are difficult to dig out because they have long taproots and if you don’t get them all they will come back.
So I’m digging out dandelions and the thought runs through my brain… “Eve, why did you have to eat that fruit? Look what I have to do because of that!” As soon as the words floated through my brain I realized how… silly the thought was. Who’s to say what the world would have been like had Eve NOT eaten the fruit? The world – and its population – would be far different.
As I reminded my kids over and over, actions have consequences. We will never know what the consequence of not eating that fruit would have been, but we do know what the consequences of her disobedience was. Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden and the world became a much different place.
What’s so incomprehensible to me is that God knew when He instructed Adam and Eve to not eat that fruit that the would eat that fruit. So why would he even bother to place that tree there and tell them that was the only thing they could not partake of. As we well know, temptation is a strong provoker. The answer, at least from my point of view, is that God hoped that Adam and Eve wouldn’t disobey. Of all God’s creation, we are the only ones who have free will to make our own choices. God wants us to love, obey and worship Him because we chose to, not because we have to.
That consciousness allows us to understand what it is that God wants of us. Unlike the rest of God’s creation, we can think and deliberate, choose what to do or what not to do, and, most importantly, know the difference between good and evil. We are more than animals who are solely driven by instinct and less than the angels whose only purpose is to worship God and do His bidding. What an awesome responsibility that is!
A person who has a natural ability to make plants grow and thrive is said to have a “green thumb.” In that context you could say that a person’s “green thumb” is any natural skill that that a person excels in and loves to do.
I have a nephew with a natural skill in audio/visual production and editing. Following him on Twitter as he works at editing is a fascinating look into the thought processes/streams of conscience of someone who absolutes relishes what he is doing. Problems that arise become challenges to overcome followed by great satisfaction. His job really isn’t a “job,” it’s FUN. But when he had to put together their newsletter… that was so NOT fun. Desktop publishing is not a natural skill for him. I kept telling him he should tell the powers that be that I would be more than happy to do their newsletter for them. Pro bono. Because I love doing that kind of project.
Looking back on my entire working life, the best jobs I’ve ever had were working with non-profit organizations whose primary purpose was (and is) providing services to communities and individuals. In every case, my position was a supportive one and I thrived on creating presentation materials that made the organization look polished and professional. My last job before moving to Maine gave me many opportunities to “play” with PageMaker and PowerPoint. The only part of that job that was a job was the administrative duties like… filing.
Now I will be doing another newsletter – the most professional (from a print perspective) I’ve ever done. I just finished my first issue for them. In spite of the… challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and after it was all done I thanked them for letting me have so much fun. Desktop publishing is my “green thumb” or at least one of them. What’s your “green thumb?”
