In the beginning...thorns and thistles

Today, my family decided to fix up the yard. It was bright, sunny and downright a beautiful day. In fact, I think I want to be a gardener now. The trees swished wonderfully over the house and despite traffic racing next to us, I was captivated by their song. I grabbed a handful of grass to the bin and even with gloves on, the weed's thorns pierced through to my fingers. I dropped them and turned to my sister.
"What in the world? I thought these gloves were supposed to help!"
"Well, you just have to be extra careful."
I sighed and wondered why in the first place I got cheap gloves. As I gingerly gathered the grass together I meditated on something. I'm reading a book by Elisabeth Elliot and in one chapter she mentioned the book of Genesis. So Genesis was still fresh on my mind and I just started wondering about how thistles and thorns came after the fall of Adam and Eve. All they were asked to do was tend a garden but because of willfully eating of the fruit, they and for generations to come, would have to endure the consequences. Such as thorns and thistles.

It was a realization for me to think of as I glanced at the grass I dropped (I didn't want my sister to catch me staring at it...I had work to do!). The garden of Eden was Paradise...hmmm...sobering to think and comprehend in such a short few seconds.