Jon Gordon - The Garden - A Spiritual Fable About Ways to Overcome Fear, Anxiety, and Stress

“So, do you want to know why they ate the fruit?” Mr. Erwin asked as they walked towards the backyard.

“They ate it because of pride,” said Jay.

“Because they wanted to be like God,” said Kay as she and Jay followed Mr. Erwin to the two trees in the center of the Garden.

When they were in front of the two trees, Mr. Erwin put down his crutches and pulled a piece of fruit from the forbidden tree. He told them, “That's what most people think. They think they ate the fruit because they wanted to be like God. But the truth is, earlier in the story we learn that God made human beings in his own likeness and image. This means they didn't eat the fruit because they wanted to be like God because they already were like God.They ate the fruit because the serpent convinced them that they weren't like God and they believed this lie.

Mr. Erwin paused and looked at their faces to make sure they understood the magnitude of what he was saying.

He continued, “The serpent caused them to question and forget their identity of who they truly were. Here, they were children of God made in his image and were already like God, and the serpent attacked them at the heart and core of this truth. They were attacked in the place of their identity. As a result of believing the lie and choosing to eat the fruit instead of trusting and following God and remembering who they were, they were then separated from God.”

“How come they forgot who they were?” Jay asked with his shoulders still slumped. He couldn't take his eyes off the fruit in Mr. Erwin's hand.

“That's a great question,” said Mr. Erwin. “I think we can ask the same question about ourselves too. You see the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden is not just a story about them. It's a story about us. God made us in His image and yet we often believe the lie that we are less than and not enough. We believe that we aren't worthy. We forget that we are children of God.

“Let me ask you both a question. Do you want to be great?”

“Yes, I do,” Kay shouted. Her legs stood firm as she said it.

“I want to be a great musician and filmmaker,” yelled Jay. “But I don't want to be great at school.”

Mr. Erwin chuckled. “That's fine,” he said. “We don't always want to be great at everything, but the big question is why do you and everyone else have a desire to be great? Why do we as a species always strive to do more and create more? We go to the moon and then we want to go to Mars. We design and build a car and we want to make an even better car. A musician has a hit song and they want to create another hit. An athlete achieves a remarkable feat and wants to improve upon it the next season. We get a good grade on a test and we want to do even better the next time. We make a great movie and we want to make an even better movie. Where does this desire come from?”

Jay and Kay shrugged.

Mr. Erwin threw the fruit in his hand towards the back of the yard and continued, “I'm convinced you want to be great because God put this desire in your soul. If you are made in His likeness and image then this means there is greatness within you. God is great and so he planted seeds of greatness in you. God is good so there is goodness in you. God is love so there is love within you.

“Deep down you know this to be true and yet too often you believe the lies that you aren't great. You believe you aren't loved and you are less than. To answer why Adam and Eve forgot who they were we have to ask ourselves, why do we forget who we are? Why do we have a desire for greatness and a knowing at times that we are here to do great things and then at other times we have such feelings of insecurity and unworthiness?”

“Because we aren't perfect,” said Kay. “Because we are like God but not God. We make mistakes.”

“That's a big part of it,” answered Mr. Erwin. “We aren't God. We do fall short of perfection. But why do we make mistakes and bad choices? I believe a big clue can be found in our thoughts.

“Since you have to get to school, let's continue the conversation tomorrow. But before you go, I have a question for you both to ponder and it is this: Do your negative thoughts come from you?”

Chapter 4

Good versus Evil

The next day Mr. Erwin sat on the bench in the garden waiting for Jay and Kay. He knew all those who want to know the truth must seek the truth, and when they came back to the garden by themselves, he knew they were ready to hear it. He was going to ask them about their day at school yesterday but decided that it didn't matter what challenges and situations they were facing. Whatever the challenge was it was just a symptom, a symptom of a deeper cause. Humans experience many different symptoms, such as addictions, fears, stress, anxiety, insecurity, and destructive behavior that are all tied to one root cause. The key was to help people understand and heal the cause of the symptom and the symptom would disappear.

Jay and Kay stood in front of Mr. Erwin, who stayed sitting on the bench with his crutches by his side.

“We think our negative thoughts come from ourselves and other people,” said Kay. She was still wearing a long-sleeved shirt to hide the cuts on her arm and tapped her foot on the ground as she talked. “People say negative things to us throughout our lives and then those thoughts become something we think on our own.”

“But if negative thoughts come from others, then where did the first negative thought come from?” asked Mr. Erwin. “How did the first person have a negative thought in the first place if it came from someone else? Also, why do people who grow up in 100% positive and supportive households and communities still have negative thoughts? And how come some people listen to the negative thoughts of others and some don't?”

Jay was a little confused. “So it starts with us then,” he said. “That's what I think. I can hear the negative thoughts in my head and I know they are from me.”

Mr. Erwin shook his head and responded, “If you believe that your negative thoughts come from you, ask yourself this question. Who would ever choose to have a negative thought? I wouldn't choose one. Would you?”

“No,” Jay said.

“I wouldn't choose one,” Kay responded.

“No one would choose a negative thought, so where do they come from?” asked Mr. Erwin.

“I have no idea,” said Jay, shaking his head with his shoulders slumped as usual. “I'm lost.”

“Thoughts are spiritual, not physical,” said Mr. Erwin. “No one has ever found a thought in their brain. It's not a physical thing. Your brain is the hardware. Thoughts exist like software in the internet cloud and are always being downloaded. Thoughts are always coming in just like dreams and nightmares do when we are sleeping. You don't choose your dreams and nightmares do you,” he asked?

Jay and Kay said “no” in unison while shaking their heads side to side.

“Thoughts are spiritual,” Mr. Erwin reiterated. “There's a spiritual battle going on between good and evil. We see this taking place in the world with killings and shootings, kidnappings, bombings, and other evil acts and we need to know that the battleground between good and evil begins in our heart, mind, and soul.”

“It's like the movies,” said Jay as he arched his back and stood up straight. “ Star Wars, Black Panther, Superman, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, are all stories of good versus evil.”

“You nailed it, Jay,” said Mr. Erwin. “Every epic story is a story of good versus evil. These movies resonate so much with us because the same battle we see on the movie screen is what we are experiencing in our soul and in the world. It's the major narrative in the universe and in our existence. Most believe in evil because they see it but they can't explain where it comes from. They tend to focus on the person committing an evil act. Many think evil comes from our human nature, but it is actually spiritual in nature. What people need to realize is there is an evil force that exists and is part of the fabric of our existence.”