Occupy… Something!

So much to protest…so little time. So many protests, so little being accomplished. Why? Because people are occupying the wrong place; they are not getting to the site of our deepest problems.

I propose we occupy someplace significant. Occupy The Garden. That’s where it all started going wrong. The real problem in the world today is that Adam decided to do his own thing, and as a result we all got kicked out of the Garden. Think about it – if he, and we, could have stayed in the Garden, we would have nothing to protest. The Garden was stocked – all the food, water, shelter and fun any person could need; a superabundance of resources (no prospect of rich v. poor); and perfect health and peace (no need for healthcare, and certainly no need for insurance, doctors, lawyers, police, marriage counselors, etc.).

Somehow it just doesn’t seem fair. Adam messed up and he ruined it for the rest of us. Why should we all be suffering for some misguided choice perpetrated by a guy living thousands of years ago?

The solution, in my humble, self-righteous opinion, is to gather a group of like-minded protesters, travel to Mesopotamia, find a couple of angels with swords standing in front of a gate…and take over.

But I have to ask myself, Would any of us be worthy to stay in the Garden? If God were to put the same test in front of one, or each, of us, would we do any better than Adam? Would any of us choose humble, joyful submission to the will of God over our own desires, lusts and longings? Probably not.

Nevertheless, the great need, and the great hope of humanity is not a better Wall Street, or a much-improved Washington D.C., or a greatly advanced United Nations. What we need is a return to the Garden. Remarkably, that is exactly what God offers to us. Because we all shared in the guilt of Adam (and consequent Garden removal experience), God says we can also share in death of His Son, Jesus, to remove that guilt. And again, remarkably, once that shared guilt in Adam is removed, God promises to restore us some day to a Garden experience – perfect, abundant provision, living in His presence forever, without scarcity and without conflict. And all of this is possible, even without our protestations…because Jesus is worthy to live in the Garden and to make it home for all of His friends.

Become His friend today. Trust Him. And rather than wasting time on superficial protests, try proclaiming hope in Jesus to everyone you know.

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