Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”  So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:26-27 (NRSV)

In the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, the Pevensie children, and others from our world, are referred to as Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve.  It is an interesting address to greet someone with since Adam and Eve’s story tends to be a downer.  There is an upside, though; it is good to remember where you come from and who you come from.  We can get along far better if we admit we are descendants of forbidden fruit pickers, then blaming it on genetics and environment.

As fathers we have the privilege of helping little sons of Adam and daughters of Eve overcome their heritage.  For those who call God father, a new heritage is available.  We can overcome our forbidden fruit picking tendencies by living as children of God instead of children of sin.  We move from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane; from rebellion to surrender.  If we keep moving in this direction, we cut a clear path for our children to follow.

It is good to remember where we come from, but we are also a people that have somewhere to go.  We are heading to a place beyond paradise and we have the blessing of taking our children along the way.  Pray today that you will have a better sense of your identity as a child of God.  Pray that you will see the opportunities to teach your children the way that leads to heaven.  Pray that you and your family can move from forbidden fruit picking to spiritual fruit bearing.

Blessings

Chris Yeager