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

“So to answer your question, Jay, we get distracted because the enemy is good at causing us to take our focus off of God. We get distracted because the enemy clutters us with doubt, distorted lies, and discouragement, and we reach for something that is appealing; something that will make us feel better. But instead of turning to God, the ultimate source that will make us feel better, we turn to bright, shiny, appealing things, thinking they will make us feel good, but they only leave us more empty, insecure, isolated, and separate from the God who loves us and created us to be one with Him. That leads us to the fifth D, and that is Divide.

Chapter 8

Divide

Mr. Erwin stood up without using the crutches that were by his side. He asked Jay to stand next to the Tree of Life and Kay to stand next to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. “Evil's ultimate goal is to divide us and separate us from God,” he said. He distracts, discourages, distorts, and creates doubt so that we will be divided from God, divided from each other and from ourselves.

Mr. Erwin then instructed Jay and Kay to take a step away from the trees and from each other towards the perimeter of the garden. He continued, “Every time you doubt God, every time you believe the lie, every time you get discouraged, and every time you get distracted you will feel further away and more disconnected from God and the people you love. Did you know the word ‘anxious’ literally means divided?” he asked.

He looked at Kay, who was tapping her foot on the ground. Kay looked down at her foot and for the first time realized that she was doing it.

“Is that why I'm so anxious and stressed all the time?” she asked.

“It's not the only reason,” said Mr. Erwin “but it's the main reason. It's what leads to the other reasons. I'm sure you can't sleep and probably have elevated levels of stress hormones called cortisol and have developed physical and mental symptoms of anxiety and stress, but at the core of it all is the fact that you feel divided, which leads to feelings of being alone, anxious, fearful, and stressed.

“After Adam and Eve ate the fruit because of doubt, distortion, discouragement, and distraction, they were then divided from God. They felt afraid and ashamed and guilty. They actually hid from God, which is what so many do then they make bad choices. They don't run to God. They hide from Him, and as a result they feel separate and disconnected and this leads to anxiety, fear, and stress and a host of other problems.

“Why does evil want to divide us?” asked Jay.

“Because that's what evil does,” said Mr. Erwin as he grabbed a leaf from the tree and ripped it in half. “It divides in order to defeat.”

He then let go of both halves of the leaf and watched them fall to the ground. “Unfortunately, evil is very good at dividing and defeating us. Just look at the world today and you can see more division than ever. More people are feeling divided from God and themselves. They are dealing with stress, fear, and anxiety and giving up as a result. More families are being divided by divorce. People feel more separated from each other even though they have more ways to connect than ever. The enemy is having a field day dividing our country politically, racially, and every way possible.

“Evil is causing many to look at what makes them different instead of what they have in common. When you look at the world's problems, so many believe the lie that they are separate from each other when actually we are all one. The soul doesn't know nationality or religion or skin color. The soul knows oneness and love. God made us to be one, and yet we allow the enemy to divide us.”

Mr. Erwin grabbed another leaf from the tree and ripped it in half as Jay and Kay watched and listened.

“The enemy's main focus and goal is to divide us so it can defeat us,” he repeated. “I told you that it's a spiritual battle and the enemy uses the Five D's to win the battle against God and us. When we lose this battle, it leads to the sixth D. In a marriage, this sixth D is Divorce. In a person, the sixth D is Destruction. In a team, the sixth D is Defeat. The enemy uses the Five D's to separate us from God, and this process leads to divorce, destruction, and defeat.”

Jay and Kay took another step away from each other. Mr. Erwin could see the look of defeat on their faces. He knew that far too many felt hopeless when they understood the battle they were facing. It was because they were only focused on the plan against them rather than the plan to win.

“Hey you two, get over here,” he said as he reached out his hands. They all held hands and formed a circle. “I told you how the enemy wins the battle,” he said. “But remember, we have a choice. Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit. They ate it because they did not believe and trust God. They believed God was withholding the best from them. They believed they would become most like God without Him. They had a choice to stay like Him or become less. They had a choice and so do we.”

Mr. Erwin walked over to the Tree of Life. “There were two trees in the garden for a reason. Two trees meant that God gave them a choice and He gives us this same choice. We don't have to choose to become less. We don't have to let the enemy win. We can choose differently. God has given us a plan to win and we can choose to implement this plan. It is a plan driven by love and love always wins. I know you don't have school tomorrow but I'm here if you two want to come over.

“I have cheering practice from 10 am to 12,” said Kay.

“My band practice is from 9 to 11 am,” said Jay.

“Okay, how about we meet at 1 pm,” said Mr. Erwin. “I'll share with you how we can overcome the Five D's and win the battle.”

Chapter 9

The Tree of Life

The next morning Jay had an amazing time at band practice. He enjoyed being at school without having to worry about getting hit or fighting in the hallways. Kay told Jay she had the most fun she's had in a long time at her practice. She was tired of being perfect. She just wanted to be happy. She still tried to be her best but didn't worry about the outcome. They decided they would tell Mr. Erwin the good news as they approached his backyard. He was standing in front of the Tree of Life when they walked up to him.

“Hey Mr. Erwin,” said the twins in unison.

“Hey you two,” Mr. Erwin said as he put down a bag of organic fertilizer. He decided today was the day he would no longer use the crutches. It was time to walk without them, even if that meant walking slowly and with a limp. “I told you that these two trees represented Adam and Eve's ability to choose, so let's look at the choice they had. What did each tree represent in regard to their choice?” He pointed to the forbidden tree, indicating he wanted them to start there.

“The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represented the choice to do their own thing,” said Kay. “I mean they could have listened to God but because they believed the lie, they chose to do what they wanted to do instead. I also think it represents the choice we have not to listen to God, not to believe him, not to trust him, and not to be in partnership with him.”

“I think it represents disobedience,” said Jay. “Like when my Dad tells me to do something, and I don't listen to him or follow his advice. I intentionally don't listen to him because I do what I want to do.”

“And how does that usually work out?” asked Mr. Erwin.

“Not good,” said Jay, as Mr. Erwin chuckled.

“You guys nailed it,” he said. “I'm proud of you. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represents our choice to live life apart from God, relying on our own ability, identity, and power. It represents human striving to be perfect like God instead of living with love, peace, and joy as God's perfect creation.”