The Temptation and the Fall
Genesis 3:1–5 states:
“Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You can’t eat from any tree in the garden”?’
The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, “You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.”’
‘No! You will certainly not die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘In fact, God knows that when you eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”
We suffer because we chose—and continue to choose—to “know” what is good and evil on our own terms, living out our autonomy. In the West, we often suffer the consequences of our sin, harming ourselves and others in the process. But Jesus is our Redeemer who reconciles us back into the presence of God.
Time is money; your worth is a bank—deposit and spend your time wisely. Understand this: you have innate worth from God, who is knowledge and wisdom (Job 2; 2 Corinthians 12:8–10; 1 Peter 4:12–13; Romans 8:18). Suffering is a part of life, and everyone experiences pain and sorrow at some point in their journey. It reminds us of our dependence on the Lord. Our alternatives are pantheism or atheism.
We all face trials that push us to the brink and force us to contemplate the meaning of life. Being a paralyzed Black and bronze man in America has its own unique challenges. At a young age, society teaches you that unless you’re an entertainer or professional athlete, your worth is minimal. But that’s nothing compared to being in a wheelchair. Society doesn’t just see you as a third-class citizen—it questions your very manhood. Some people dear to me once said, “You’re just a head on a stick. You’re not a man.” That kind of reasoning deemed me worthless.
So, what is my meaning? Is meaning based on cultural relativism, which changes with society’s standards, or is it objective—granting innate worth and value regardless of what culture says?
Ultimately, this begs the question: Is evil and suffering worth understanding and fighting through?
If we can’t “find meaning in the suffering,” why live another moment, another minute, another hour? If nothing transcends us and there is no answer to why we suffer or face evil, then meaninglessness followed by death is the only logical conclusion.
I’m a quadriplegic on life support, and I can tell you: quadriplegia is an easy target for nihilism. Losing your independence—losing the neurological ability to move—can make life feel utterly useless. Depression and hopelessness grip you like a cancer that won’t let go.
Bill Nye once said, “We are just a speck, on a speck, orbiting a speck, in the corner of a speck, in the middle of nowhere.” Richard Dawkins claimed, “In a universe of electrons and selfish genes… you won’t find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice… The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.”
This is the essence of nihilistic thought: there is no God, no Designer—therefore no hope, especially in suffering.
Life is a rollercoaster, and sometimes we get tired of riding. But many ignore or reject the idea that a Designer exists—the One who made the rollercoaster for a reason.
Suffering began in Genesis 3:1–5,15. We suffer because we want to live autonomously, deciding what is good and evil. Fast-forward to Mark 12:13–17 and John 12:9–19—evil has evolved into diabolical schemes and mass manipulation. Today, every few years, the world holds its breath as 8 billion people are effectively taken hostage by a world leader with access to nuclear weapons. One temper tantrum can disrupt world peace.
Individually, we all have our trials—mentally and physically—some more severe than others. Romans 5:3–5 speaks directly to this.
Several years ago, I was mentally defeated. I had found what I thought was a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I stared into a pool of liquid sulfuric acid when a calm, audible voice said, “Why don’t you drive yourself in?”
But in hindsight, my hopeless mindset wasn’t consistent. I hadn’t truly reached the end. I understood the stigma of quadriplegia, the pain of bedsores, and the weight of loss. But I also began to understand people deeply—holistically.
Through my suffering, I observed caregivers (family and professionals alike), home health aides, nurses, and doctors. After that dark moment, I knew I had to find a worldview I could live with—one that made sense of everything I was experiencing. I was lost without one.
Eventually, I discovered a coherent worldview that I could live by. I became a follower of Christ.
Christ gave me irrefutable evidence that He lived, taught, died, and rose again. More than that, He gave me deep life lessons—about relationships, about suffering. He also opened my eyes to the mental and physical dangers of atheism and nihilism.
Now, I understand: life is about relationships. I also know I have an objective purpose as revealed in Mark 12:28-31. My subjective purpose is to help people navigate their life through suffering. I give hope in the midst of adversity.
Reach out to me- I am a relationships coach.
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I hope to connect with you soon.