| In 1843, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a short story entitled, “The New Adam and Eve.” In this short story, Hawthorne imagined what it would be like if God purged the earth of all mankind. The works and infrastructure remained, but man was gone. This empty shell of a world then became a new “Garden of Eden” wherein God placed a new “Adam and Eve.”
As this new “Adam and Eve” explored their new world, they tried to make sense of their surroundings. They visited several buildings (e.g. courthouse, jail, grocery store, etc.) and tried to imagine what the functions of these buildings were. Eventually, they entered a library. While Adam browsed through one of the books in the library, he suggested to Eve that maybe the answers to all their questions might be contained inside one of these volumes. However, Eve was not interested in the contents of the books. Instead, she told Adam to fling the book down and to leave the library and its musty air for fresher air elsewhere. Then Eve made the statement that begs to be allegorized. She said, “If you love me, come away.” Have you ever considered how many people have been enticed to leave the word of God by the very same words? How many people have “flung down” the Bible to follow someone or something else that beckons them away from God’s word? Friends, let this fictional short story remind you that there are countless people and things that call us away from the word of God. They call us to seek meaning in life in other places and in other ways. We are called away by others who have no interest in the contents of the Bible. So we are forced to make a choice. Do we fling down the Bible for “fresher air,” or do we cling to the Bible and embrace the answers it provides. Have you been asked to make a choice? Has someone, in essence, said to you, “If you love me, come away?” If so, what was your answer? by Steve Higginbotham |