Fifty Shades of Grace Chapter 1

Chapter One—How it all started

Do you know why we all sin? 

A long long time ago before God even created the world, he had a plan to create people. He knew who each one of us would be and planned out every single detail of every one of our days. He wanted us for himself so we could love him and act like him. But he also would give us a will that could decide not to love him and act like him. 

When God created the world, it was all perfect. He planted a garden and called it Eden. The sunrises and sunsets were beautiful every day. The dogs didn’t bite anybody and neither did the mosquitos. The water in the rivers was clean enough to drink. The days were warm and the nights were cool. There were flowers everywhere and lots of bushes and trees and plants that gave food for people. 

God told the people—Adam and Eve—that they could eat anything they wanted except the fruit from one tree in the garden called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The lions and tigers and bears were all friendly and some people think that maybe the animals could talk. Well, one of them could talk for sure. He was the most amazing creature. One day he went right up to Adam and Eve and struck up a conversation with them! Adam wasn’t a big talker so he let Eve do most of the talking while he pretended not to listen. 

The amazing creature told Eve a bunch of bold-faced lies. If he were here today, the Washington Post would give him four Pinocchios for all the lies he told. Nobody had ever lied to Eve before so she she didn’t suspect a thing. She believed everything this creature told her. The creature told her that God was keeping things from her. He said that God did not want Eve to be all that she could be and that she would not die if she ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In fact, he said Eve could become just like God if she ate the fruit. 

Now you would think that a tree that was bad for you would have a sign on it that said POISON with maybe a picture of a skull and crossbones. 

But this tree looked very good and the fruit looked really yummy and juicy. So Eve ate some. Then she said, “Hey Adam! I just ate some of this and nothing happened!” So Adam ate some too. They did NOT keel over dead in that instant, but they realized that something inside them died. The something that made them happy and carefree and joyful was gone. In its place was that horrible feeling you get in your tummy when you know you did something really bad and your mom or dad is about to find out. They were afraid, so they hid from God and tried to cover up their bodies with leaves. 

Later that day God came looking for them. He said, “Adam, Adam…where are you?” Imagine how Adam felt now. All this time Adam and God had been the best of friends. God had made everything so beautiful just for him and gave him good food and a pretty place to live and lots of animals to play with and even a wife. And now Adam chose to obey the serpent rather than God. Sin had come into the garden and now Adam and Eve were infected with it. The worst part is that now all their children would be sinners too. 

God had to kick them out of the garden and they had to work much harder for everything. They could not live in God’s presence anymore. Imagine if you did something naughty and your mom and dad kicked you out of your house and said you couldn’t live with them anymore. You would have to get your food out of garbage cans and sleep outside even if it was raining or cold. That’s what it was like for Adam and Eve. They felt utterly hopeless and I bet they cried a lot.  But God said that some day one of Eve’s children would come and restore Eden again and God would let them back in and dwell there with his people forever. God did not have to restore Eden. But he decided to give good things to people who did not deserve it at all. 

IT’S OUTRAGEOUS!

IT’S SCANDALOUS!

IT’S…GRACE.

My Garden of Eden

A while later Adam and Eve had a baby and they named him Cain. They thought he might be the one who would do everything right and restore Eden. But he was not the one. He was an evil man who killed his own brother Abel. Later, they had another son and called him Seth. Years and years and years went by and finally Adam and Eve died. All that time they were hoping to see the one who would save them, but he didn’t come. Whom do you think it might be?

Evidence of God's Grace to Me: