Difficulty Undefined

A top athlete can jump a five-foot fence without difficulty, while most people would find jumping a three-foot one nearly impossible. We tend to judge how difficult things should be based on our personal experiences. If we did not, we would not be in awe of outstanding physical performances. Even when we think life is easy, we have no idea what an easy life is like.

It is beyond our Comprehension

We are incapable of understanding what life was like before the fall.

Typically, when we think about or experience the effects of sin in the world, we compare it to what we might call "the good times."  In physical terms, we might compare our current aches and pains to younger days when they were fewer and farther between. We might lament, "If I could only feel as good as I did back then."  Most teenagers have not considered how much less limber they are than they were only a few years prior. For example, most 2-year-olds are limber enough to wrap their legs around their necks. Even pre-teens have lost significant flexibility. Although our bodies worked better when we were younger, they were still far from perfect, far from what Adam and Eve's bodies were like before death entered mankind.  

Similarly, we can not imagine how good relationships with others and God were before the fall.

Protection was unnecessary in the Garden of Eden

We have found it necessary to create walls everywhere that we hide behind to survive.

Those did not exist in the Garden of Eden. Walls surround our homes. They keep us physically comfortable and protect us from others who wish to sin against us. We wear a wall of clothing. We put up invisible walls in our interactions with others because we fear revealing our authentic selves or the reaction we may observe in others if we were fully transparent with them.

We are so used to these walls that we accept them as normal.

They are consequences of sin, of the fall of man.

Because of our inexperience, our best view of life without the corruption of the world may be remembering the best times of our lives physically and times when the love of others surrounded us. During times like that, some have exclaimed, "It does not get any better than this!"  But they are wrong. It was much better and will be much better again when we see Jesus! 

Mankind has faced many difficulties since the fall.

One of the curses Adam received was that things were no longer easy, and he had to work. The soil needed to be tilled, and weeds needed to be pulled. 

We have to work to produce what it takes to live, to just keep everything from degrading.

Weeds grow, paint fades, and everything wears out. Nothing in the physical universe has an eternal lifespan.

The following self-explanatory passage explains the corruption we experience and the vast contrast between life on this earth and what awaits those who have received Christ. 

The "present sufferings," "frustration," "bondage to decay," and "groaning as in the pains of childbirth" all commenced after and as a result of the fall of man, that is, the original sin.

This look at life's difficulties as a result of the fall could be explained well enough by Romans 8:18-23.  This "Digging Deeper" look helps us clearly see the correlation between the fall and the world's condition, as well as how we should live in this world. 

There is a vast difference between paradise and the world we live in.

A Broken World

• Nothing lasts

No lasting fulfillment can be found in a broken world where everything, absolutely everything, fails.

Our bodies, our governments, and even our relationships fail us. Our bodies may be the best reminder of this world's brokenness. For most, the teenage years were pretty pain-free. Most who exercise during those years find great satisfaction in their performance and perhaps also in how they view their physiques. 

Although the physical changes are slow enough not to be noticeable in one's 20s, without vigorous exercise, the fading of one's ability becomes more evident. Children sprint all the time. Even though 30 seems young to most, only one out of 20 can still sprint. As we age, no matter how hard we try, performance fades, and the chance of injuries and pain increases. 

This downward progression did not happen in the Garden of Eden. When Adam sinned, the part of him that would live forever died.  Death entered into him.  Although the 20-year-old may not have noticed the changes, Adam and Eve indeed did. The invincibility of their bodies was no longer a reality. 

• Perspective for today

When we live in truth, we live in freedom. Satan's power is in the lie. So, what is the truth about our world? 

Every time we experience any sort of difficulty or physical or relational pain, it is a result of the fall.

We would do well to identify it as such. Doing so will help us to hate sin and to long for Heaven. That is the "so what" of this topic. 

To Recreate the Garden of Eden

We naturally find ourselves trying to make things right that we see as wrong.

We try to make meals taste better and get people to be kinder to one another. When we see horrific things in the world, whether from people doing them or a natural disaster, inwardly we complain and think, "That should not be!"  If they walk into an otherwise clean living room and see their shirt on the floor, most people would pick it up. It does not belong there. We have created a standard about how life is supposed to be. 

Some people have obsessive-compulsive disorder to the degree that if anything is out of place, they will be upset. To some degree, we all have this. We find peace in order. All of the order we find peace in, however, is meaningless in achieving lasting peace. It is like a drug, making us numb to the corruption and ongoing decay in the world around us.

We frantically work to surround ourselves with that which gives us temporary peace.

The reality is that even though suffering did not exist in the Garden of Eden, it is normal on Earth. Our thinking and feelings that "this should not be" are because God has put eternity in the hearts of men. (Eccl 3:11) God also created us in His image. (Gen 1:27) So we long for what is right, long for Heaven most of the time without even knowing it.  (2 Cor 5:2)

Many people spend considerable time trying to get this fallen world to look and feel a little more like heaven. Solomon shared wisdom about that.

To Slow Aging

A common expression of elderly people is that they feel young mentally. Particularly for men, that view can result in injuries. If a person could step back into their 18-year-old body, surely they would exclaim, "Wow, things have changed!"  The truth is that all of our bodies are broken.  Some men and women "worship" their bodies.  Beautiful young women reach a time when the wrinkles and the sagging skin can no longer be hidden. The well-built men find those things that used to be child's play now difficult. Many experience what is called a ‘mid-life crisis."  Some men try to self-medicate the pain of aging by spending time with younger women, hoping to make themselves feel young again. That desire to feel young is evident when looking at many celebrities who have had so much face surgery and Botox that they do not even look normal. It is all a fight against the aging process brought on by sin. 

It is a fight against a broken world, an attempt to create a bit of heaven on earth.

Medicating the pain of failure

Some feed their stomachs, medicating the pain of the broken world with the pleasures of the taste of food. 

Some use drugs or alcohol to excess. Some medicate through unbiblical sexual pleasure.  Many in our present age medicate through watching hours of screen time daily.

Others medicate by doing everything possible to slow the aging process.  Some worship their bodies by trying to look and feel like they did when they were younger.

Self-medication in order to relieve  the pain of this world is a pathway to either

1. Try to ignore the consequences of the fall, or

2. Have victory over the fall.

Both of these result in failure by the time we reach mid-age.  The overweight and under-exercised person suffers from their prior lifestyle.  The one trying to stay young has no choice but to admit that they fall far short of their under-30 self, both in looks and physical performance. Those who retire no longer find fulfillment in their occupations. 

Balancing worldly and spiritual focus

There is a balance in our view of all this. We could take an extreme view and not do anything to make our lives better. Some people do this with their bodies. Lack of discipline and self-control results in the effects of aging taking their toll much faster than they would if we took care of ourselves. Some people seldom brush their teeth, drink enough fluids, or exercise. Almost all of them will suffer and die much earlier than they would have if they cared for their physical selves. Some people may think that if the world is rotting, why live in it any longer than we need to? Why not let it take its natural course? This lifestyle can result from laziness, lack of long-term thinking, or giving in to what is inevitable. 

The opposing mindset would be to pursue as much pleasure as possible, aiming for the most extended, most comfortable life filled with enjoyment, even if that means doing so at the expense of others. With that kind of mentality, harming others will be the result.

People do not fall into one of the above categories. There is a spectrum ranging from those who practice poor self-care to those who are very aggressive about it.

No matter the energy one puts into being healthy,

nature and the world's corruption eventually take their toll on the flesh.

Outside of our bodies, we have things that we enjoy and try to protect from being broken or wearing out. It is interesting that if properly taken care of, our possessions, for the most part, will outlive us!

What view should we have then about our life, our bodies, and the things around us? The Bible is the best place to find those answers.  

Paul gives us a healthy view. The body allows us to do the work God has called us to do on this earth. Our bodies can fail to the point where we can no longer do that work. So, in this corrupt, degrading body on a corrupt, degrading earth,

we do well to extend our healthy life as much as we can

and make it fruitful in order to minister God's love to others.

Original sin is pushing us toward death. Original sin is making us work to care for our bodies and things around us, which can take our focus off our purpose. 

Both the pursuit of pleasure-seeking to recreate the Garden of Eden

 and the avoidance of pain can take our eyes off God's goal for us.

Living in the broken world

We must accept that we live in a broken world, a proverbial boat taking on more water daily. No matter how many years may be left in our lifetime, those years are limited. It has been said,

"Until a person identifies that they will die, they do not start to live."

The boat has a hole in it. Time is limited. How then shall we live?

We must first admit that the hole in the boat can not be repaired and that it is only a matter of time before it sinks, and we die. It is time to admit that there is no lasting value in rearranging the parts of the boat so they look nicer.

On one hand, some do everything they can to work as little as possible. There are consequences to this as well.

Those who do this are trying to skirt the curse of the fall by burdening others with extra consequences from the fall. They, so to speak, force others to work harder to carry the load that was meant for them.  This is the opposite of the examples given to us by Christ and the apostles. It is the opposite of the teaching of scripture, particularly the second great commandment to love others as Christ has loved us. Love is meeting the needs of others.

A person who neglects self-care is not only limited in meeting the needs of others,

 but forces others by default to take care of them.

In our country, for the most part, the government pays money, and charitable organizations help those who are not earning enough to survive. Those who pay taxes and donate to organizations are supporting many people who are unwilling to work. They support those who are not capable and those who seek to replicate the Garden of Eden as they can by not working as they are able. 

Conversely, many people strive to find meaning in their work. Just like there is a healthy amount of exercise, there is a healthy amount of finding meaning in work. The problem happens when, rather than seeing what pleasure one can find in work, one looks for fulfillment, lasting fulfillment in one's occupation. 

An indicator of a person's priorities is considering what they spend most of their time thinking about.

Some Find Fulfillment Despite Brokenness

They take care of themselves, are disciplined in exercise, and are self-controlled in eating so that in this broken world, they can help others who struggle instead of needing help themselves. This is the only choice that results in fulfillment.  

All of us would do well to pay attention to the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, on how to live life amid the futility in this broken world. It does not seem wise to attempt to expound on the writings of the wisest man to have lived.

Jesus summed up "his commandments."