Enjoying Eden

So, God gave Adam and Eve the Garden of Eden and everything in it. Every fruit and vegetable that we know of and then some! Can you imagine? God gave them free range to enjoy all that He had for them. He warned against eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but they were still allowed, even that. Yet, Adam and Eve chose to hang out near said tree. They probably even wondered about it long before that fiendish serpent even opened it's mouth to place the doubt in their minds. My point? It's time for me to get away from that dang tree. My tree looks a little different. My tree is covered with the fruits of youth, carefree ways, thinness, beauty, lust, falling into passionate lust at first sight, nights out dancing with the girls, cocktails, cigarettes, and even the occasional drug. Man, that tree may look hideously ugly to most, but it's the tree I partook from daily before I met Jesus. I know I'm not to long for or desire those things, but I've been thinking about that dang tree a bit more than usual lately. It may even be said that I've been hanging out a few trees back from it. I see what that tree does, I have a few friends who still eat from that tree, whether it be occasionally or regularly. I know that it is the tree of death; death of family, death of marriages, death of spirits, death of joy and hope. My prayer these days is that God will continue to open my eyes to the abundance of other trees in my garden. My prayer these days is that after tasting the mangoes, papayas, and starfruit of this garden for a period of time, that dang tree will wither up and die for lack of pruning. In fact, it would be even better that the only reason I think of it at all is because the fruit is already rotting on the branches and the faint smell of decay fills my nostrils if I turn my head in it's direction. Jesus freed me from that tree and it's long twisted thorny branches. The only way I could have ever gotten out was with His help. The fact that I even needed help to get out should be reason not to go near it ever again. Thank you, Lord for my Garden of Eden and walking with me through it. I pray that you will show me how to enjoy all the fruit you created for my pleasure and health in a way that is glorifying to you. Thank you for that rotten filthy tree in the center of the garden that sits as a reminder of where you saved me from. Thank you for allowing me to see how alluring it can be, even now, so that I can stop kicking myself for having EVER touched it. Thank you that that tree had always been surrounded by the rest of the beautiful garden, even if I couldn't see it. You know what they say about seeing the forest from the trees! Now I do, too.