I Am Adam

For those who are getting a little worried about what appears to be a continuous identity crisis, please remain calm. I understand that some of my posts could lead people to believe that I suffer from some sort of multiple personality disorder after all I have said that I am Mary, Thomas, Samuel and Peter. Do not be alarmed, I am Dave, I always have been Dave and I always will be Dave. That being said, I am Adam.

God’s creation was perfect until sin entered the world.

I must admit that based on my 52 year old body, I am not the “pre sin entering the world” Adam. Actually, based on the processed food, sugar based, fatty fast food diet that North Americans including myself indulge in and the sedentary TV/computer lifestyle we live, I must assume I was never physically like the pre or post sin entering the world Adam. Still, I am Adam.

I have planted a garden.

I have never had God plant a garden for me nor have I been forced out of that garden and told, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return…” Genesis 3:19 (NIV) but I have got a little dirt under my fingernails trying to grow food in my backyard. Still, I am Adam.

I have a beautiful wife and helpmate.

My wife has offered me various fruit from both trees and plants and although this fruit has never got me in trouble with God, it has got me in trouble with my weight. Okay I need to be honest, not all of the fruit I eat… let me correct that, very little of the fruit I eat is without additional flavour enhancers. This is a nice way of saying pie crust, shortcake, sugar, ice cream and many more complementary ingredients are why I eat fruit. I am sure that these additional flavour enhancers, these complementary ingredients that I consider the only way to eat fruit, were not part of the temptation that Adam faced when offered a piece of the forbidden fruit by Eve. Still, I am Adam.

I have blamed others for temptations I have given into.

I hate to admit it but I have blamed my wife for my bad behaviours. It isn’t that she is always free of blame but rather that I am ultimately responsible for my reactions. I am in control of myself and whether my wife has done something to provoke me that she should not have done or I am having a bad day and anything she does provokes me, I need to show restraint, self-control and not allow myself to respond in a regrettable way.

If a friend offers me an opportunity to do something attractive but wrong and I join them, notice I used friend not my wife because she would never lead me down this path, I can blame them all I want but it does not remove my guilt. I am responsible for me no matter how much I am tempted by someone else. And yet I have been known to blame the other person. I am Adam.

“…she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12b (NIV)

I have blamed God for being involved in the temptations I have given into.

I’m not sure I have been as blatant in my blaming as I have been with others but still I have suggested that God played a role in my failings. “You put me here God, what do you expect me to do?” “You allowed me to experience this problem, how did you expect me to respond?” “You know the future so you knew this was going to happen, why didn’t you take me on a different course?”

I understand that God desires me to live a life that is holy, that He is not out to trip me up. I know that He is perfect and wants nothing to do with evil. I understand that His desire for me made evident by His willingness to sacrifice His son is to have relationship not separation. Still, I am Adam.