I must have been having such a day last week. That's when I came to fully realize: If Adam and Eve had not fallen, if they had overcome the temptation of Satan, I wouldn't have those days! People wouldn't be rude. I wouldn't cut my bangs too short. I wouldn't get sick. There wouldn't be germs! Homework would have always been easy. I wouldn't be late to EVERYTHING. I would never stumble on my words. Subway would always make my sandwiches perfectly, and every morning I would have the best smoothie in the world!
But then again, I wouldn't know what an act of kindness was. I wouldn't learn my lesson to always let my mom cut my hair. I wouldn't have stretched myself by taking 18 credits one semester. I wouldn't know what it was like to have a peaceful moment. I wouldn't know what happiness felt like. I wouldn't know what it was like to have a Savior.
All the bad in life always seems to be blamed on Adam and Eve. Where the "tragic fall" started is also where everything awful started. But then again, all the good can be traced back to Adam and Eve also. The only reason we know what's good is because of the bad. There is a prophet in the scriptures, Lehi, who explains this principle better than I ever could to his son, Jacob:
"For it must needs be, that there is an aopposition in all things. If not so...righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad...And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away."
I firmly believe that God knew this. Hence he revealed it to a prophet which we now have in scripture form. If Adam and Eve had not partaken of the fruit, then there would have been no need for a Savior or Redeemer, no need for Christ. But Christ was chosen before Adam and Eve fell right? Remember? There was a giant war in Heaven. God presented His plan of happiness, and Satan stood in opposition to God's plan. Christ was chosen as our Savior and Satan was cast out of Heaven.
That means, God knew the fall would happen. In fact, He planned on it happening. It wasn't just an "accident" or a "whoops" moment. God knew it would happen and planned for it. It never thwarted God's plan. Our Heavenly Father told us His plan was for us to come down to earth, to leave His prescence, so that we could know joy from sorrow; happiness from pain; good from evil. He wanted it this way for our "profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath bcreated all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be cacted upon."
That means, God knew the fall would happen. In fact, He planned on it happening. It wasn't just an "accident" or a "whoops" moment. God knew it would happen and planned for it. It never thwarted God's plan. Our Heavenly Father told us His plan was for us to come down to earth, to leave His prescence, so that we could know joy from sorrow; happiness from pain; good from evil. He wanted it this way for our "profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath bcreated all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be cacted upon."
If Adam and Eve had remained in the Garden of Eden, they would not have progressed. There was hardly any opposition in the Garden of Eden. Therefore they never would have known what it was like to have someone disappoint you. But they never would have known what it was like to have someone serve you with love. This life is the time to learn what real happiness is. It is the time to make mistakes, see some heartaches and sorrows so that we may fully understand the successes, the love, the happiness, and the need for our Savior, Jesus Christ.
