Is a Felon -- My Confession Is Written Below

In seventh grade I committed a felony. Yep, there you have it. I confess.


In seventh grade I was diagnosed as having ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). The diagnosis in the early 80s was not as prevalent as it is today, and my parents had to get educated real quick. It was a bizarre time in my life. I knew I was different that the other kids. I knew it was easier for me to be around adults than it was for kids my own age. I realized that by the end of a football game all the other cheerleaders would be exhausted, but I was raring for more. In the mornings, it looked like a wrestling match had taken place by Sumu wrestlers. I didn’t know what impulsive meant. I called it being spontaneous…and wasn’t it great and fun? I made As and Bs at Calvary except in math. I struggled beyond belief. It didn’t matter how much I tried I could not get above a C.

The day I was caught, I was in school and my math teacher pulled me into the hall. Mrs. Honea, who is now the principal at Calvary, stood maybe 5’ 2”…maybe. She never raised her head to look up at a student, but she would roll her dark brown eyes upward and could bore a hole in you as she handled whatever situation that had arisen in class. On this particular day…I was the situation. Mrs. Honea had my math test in her hand and asked if my mom had signed it. My mom’s name was on the paper alright, and I had done my best to make it look like hers. But when you use a pencil to forge your mother’s signature on the ride to school, you are doomed to fail! I had committed a forgery on a math test where I had made a BIG, FAT F. Yep, there were a lot of conversations and consequences after that little jewel came to light.

When I failed that test, I had a choice to make…buck up and face the consequences OR try to skirt the unpleasantness. Once I made the choice to be deceitful, I had another choice. Do I tell the truth when confronted? Yes, Mrs. Honea, I forged my mom’s signature on the way to school this morning. OR Do I lie? Knowing the consequences aren’t going to get any better, I opted for telling the truth after fishtailing and squirming for what seemed hours (but I’m sure it was only a second). It’s amazing how quick your life can flash before you when you’ve only lived to see the seventh grade!

While reading about Creation in Genesis 2, I read about God creating two trees in the center of the Garden of Eden – the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. THE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING EITHER WAS REGARDING THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. God specifically told Adam this instruction. Eve wasn’t even created yet! Might as well have told him not to run with scissors in his hands! (Just kidding. He didn’t have scissors, but you get my point.)

I used to wonder why in the world God would even create such a tree if He knew it would not have good results. Options. Choices. He wanted to give Adam the opportunity to choose. Do you love me and obey me, or do you love yourself more? Remember the prior blogs about God’s relationship with Adam…God planted a garden…for Adam. Adam doesn’t know anyone else but God. It’s not like he has been influenced by his peers or by the media. He was a blank slate. He was pure.

Another thing I wonder about is how did Eve learn of “THE” rule? Did Adam tell her, or was she created with this knowledge? The Bible doesn’t say. Doesn’t really matter other than she misquotes the rule.

I remember when Pearce was little he was an explorer of his environment, and he was intrigued with the place where we plugged in our electrical devices. He could pop those covers off in no time flat. Child proof, my eye! Adult proof is more like it. Anyway, I would pull his round, little body away from the outlet and place a couple of wonderful toys in front of him…toys he loved. Where would I find him in no time at all? Back at the wall, popping the cover off. He was curious. He knew I had popped his roly poly hand before, but he was determined to find out what was the deal with that outlet. Adam was just like that. God gave Adam a choice. God placed the Tree of Life right there in front of him, but we don’t ever hear of Adam eating from it. Adam’s own naiveness and choice to go along instead of lead by making the right choice led to the ultimate fall of mankind. Yes, Eve was tempted, and she failed, but Adam had been entrusted with the information and when given the opportunity to choose to follow the rule or not, he failed.

Just like Adam and Eve whose choice led to their spiritual death and eventually their physical death, we make decisions regularly that give life or death. Death to a relationship. Death to a dream. Life to a relationship. Life to a dream. We will never know what would have happened if Adam and Eve had chosen to eat from the other tree, but what we do know is that their choice determined what happens next in history – CONSEQUENCES. We face consequences for our choices as well.

Did God still love them? Absolutely. If He didn’t, He wouldn’t have made coverings for them. Did God abandon them? The rest of the Bible tells you God never forsake them or their offspring. God just wants you to choose Him. Choose to love Him. Choose to obey Him. He wants you to choose life.