When God formed you, He said, “This kid is a good kid. This kid is a special kid who’s gonna do incredible things.”

I like to imagine God saying that in a Philadelphia accent — like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky: “Yo, this one right here? They’re gonna do big things.”

All that to say: God thought deeply about you when He created you. You weren’t made by accident. You were intentionally, intricately, and lovingly knitted together in your mother’s womb. But if Pinocchio and the Bible have taught me anything, it’s this: the Creator always creates with love and good intentions — but life, the world, and even our own choices can corrupt that goodness if we let them. Let’s take a look at a story where something that was once perfect becomes corrupted by evil.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 1:27-28 NIV

We see in Scripture that God created mankind in His image—crafted beautifully and blameless before Him. Adam, the first man, had a pretty sweet setup. He was given the task of naming all the animals, which is honestly one of the most unique jobs in history. Though, I’ve always been curious about his logic when it came to naming the jellyfish. I mean… it’s not actually a fish. Adam spent his days and nights in the peaceful rhythm of Eden, walking in perfect relationship with God and resting under the shade of the trees. Honestly, that sounds like an introvert’s paradise.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

Genesis 3:1-6 NIV

And this is why we can’t have nice things.

Just when everything was good—very good—evil stepped in and asked the question: “Is this really good? Surely, there’s something better than this good… right?” 

God had given one command: don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just one rule. But the serpent was clever. He twisted truth in such a way that Eve began to desire what she was never meant to have—the thought of being like God. What’s truly terrifying is that Satan, the serpent, was simply repeating his own rebellion. He had once tried to overthrow God, and now his first move in the human story was to convince Adam and Eve to do the exact same thing. Fast forward to today—thousands of years later—and not much has changed. Satan’s main objective is still the same: to get you to say no to Jesus, and yes to the lie that you are your own god, that you can do it all on your own, and that you don’t need anyone else—not even your Creator.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.””

Genesis 3:8-19 NIV

Man, you ever heard the saying, “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes?” That’s basically what happens when we decide to play God—in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Adam and Eve had a solid setup. Peace, purpose, and the presence of God. But one act of disobedience changed everything. Just one decision shifted the entire trajectory of their lives. Adam went from naming animals in paradise to working the ground just to survive alongside them. What was once rest turned into labor. The world today is no different—it’s constantly shifting, always trying to shape you, to convince you to take control, to become the god of your own life. But I tell you, trust the spirit, follow the truth that is the Bible, and ignore that still, small voice.

Don’t buy it.

Instead, put your trust in the One who created you. He knows you better than you know yourself. The One who formed you is the only one who can lead you, to eternal life.