Laboring Outside the Garden

When Adam and Eve were in the Garden, God provided everything for them.  They did not have to work or labor for anything.  When they sinned and broke the relationship with God, he cursed them.  No you will have to work for everything that you get.  God wanted to give them everything.  He wanted to bless them with his goodness.  However, when we allow sin to break that connection, God cannot continue to bless us.  he must cut us loose to fend for ourselves (so to speak - for everything still comes from God)/

The bible says, God desires to bless his children with gifts. (Romans 8:17, Matthew 7:7-11).

I see this so vividly in the parent-child relationship.  We want to give our children everything.  We want to bless them with good things, and we want to limit or eliminate their pain. When our children obey us and seek to please their parents, we have much joy in blessing them.  However, when our children disobey and displease us, we cannot bless them.

It's like this. God established a system of blessing obedience.  When the Israelites obeyed God's commands, he blessed them. They were successful in battle, their was rain on their lands, there were crops in their fields.  However, when the Israelites disobeyed God they removed themselves from his protection, provision, and ability to bless them.  Sin separates us from God. I don't believe God is looking down at us and saying "Hmmmm, who can I punish today."  I think rather God is delighting in the obedience of those following him, enjoying seeing them enjoy his blessings, his provision, and his presence.  I think those that choose to place themselves outside a relationship with God, are left to figure things out on their own.  God says ok, go ahead and labor in the land for yourself.  I'm over here with a plan when you are ready.

Maybe, these thoughts apply to an older child.  For we cannot allow a toddler to break the relationship and figure things out for themselves (at least not in all things - maybe in a few very small things).  But I do believe the same principle holds true.  Often times not heading the advice of parents will lead a child to experience negative natural consequences.  We cannot always protect our children from every unpleasant experience.  However, as they see us follow God and the blessings in our lives as a result of that relationship, they see us model that relationship with them, by giving them freedom (within reason of age and maturity) to make the choice to head our advice and direction or go their own way.  When they see these things from us they can hopefully be guided by the knowledge that their parents want the best for them, and the direction of their parents(which should be God's direction) is the best and most blessed choice to make.