Adam, Eve, Do You Need A Bigger Leaf ?

Common Sense Commentary: Which is stronger, inherited traits, those formed by environmental exposure while growing up, or force of habit? They are all strongly influential in determining who we are.

Inherited "physical" traits cannot be avoided and are no reflection on our morality or character. Inherited, undesirable mental or emotional traits can usually be adjusted if dealt with early with patience, discipline and love.  The good ones can be cultivated into life-long assets.  Environmentally affected traits, good or bad, are almost as strongly embedded in our personalities as inherited ones.

Inherited and environmental influences upon our childhood mind, emotions or body are not our  fault .....but are our responsibility.  When these things are first recognized in our thoughts, words or actions, we are responsible to deal with  them, not whoever we blame  or credit, teachers, parents, God or whoever. The good traits we are responsible to cultivate, educate, practice and use for our good and God's glory.  The bad traits we are also responsible to pray about, give over to God, and totally yield to Him to purge and prune them from our flesh and minds.

If a bad seed in our flesh or mind or spirit is not prayed over and confessed to God and by his grace, yielded for extraction by Him and rejection by us, it will germinate, sprout up, take root and become a growing habit which is harder and harder to give up .... or even to live with.  Drug addiction, gluttony,
alcoholism, pornography, sexual perversion, anger, laziness, cursing, hatred, negativism, critical spirit, gossip, greed, lying .... all sin compounds itself, reproduces itself, and takes over the life of its willing host.  Such unrepented of sin and character flaws, are retained by choice   of the infected one, and tend downward  ruining marriages, mental and physical health, relationships, employment, life in general, and drag that person to prison or their grave. 

Turning over a new leaf is as ineffective as wearing one for concealment.  When Adam and Eve were confronted with their sin against God, He did not offer them a larger leaf but "clothed" them.  A fig leaf is quite large but not quite large enough.  Swearing off a habit, promising to quit it, trying to reform, even hating your sin or yourself is no permanent cure for a sinful habit that has entrenched itself as deeply within our flesh as hunger or breathing.  A homosexual once told me it would be as hard for him to change as it would for me to change from being a man to a woman.  I don't believe that, but I do realize the almost irresistible power of habitual sin ingrained in the flesh and soul of those so addicted.

My son, Ron, recently quoted a verse regarding this kind of addiction.  "As a dog returneth to his
vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."  Prov.26:11.  The only lasting deliverance and remedy for sin is the conversion and transformation of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other Hope!  And yet it is so simple as turning to Him in prayer, with a repentant heart, and asking forgiveness.  He never turns a sincere, repentant heart away.... never never.

Pass it on. RB