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Just One Rule
by Betty Castleberry He walked up behind his wife, watching her quietly for a moment. She was sitting on a large flat rock holding something in her hand. He spoke softly so he wouldn't startle her. "Hi honey, I'm home. What's for dinner?" She swung her shiny dark hair over her shoulder. "Oh, hello dear. Passion fruit. Is that okay?" "Sounds fine. What are you doing?" "Crafts." "Crafts? What are crafts?" "Things like this. See?" She held out a green twig twisted into a heart shape. "I'm going to take one of those little rose buds and attach it right here in the center. Won't that be pretty?" "Umm, yeah, sure. How did you learn to do that?" "Well, while you've been tending the plants and trees, I've been working on some things. You know, practicing." She made a sweeping gesture, indicating several things on the ground in front of her, then picked one of them up. "Look at this." A delicate braided chain of yellow and white flowers lay across her palm. "I'm very proud of it. Do you like it?" He stroked his chin. "Sure, I guess. What are you going to do with all this stuff?" "Decorate with it, of course. You know, hang a few things here and there. Add a little color and really make this place pop. Maybe even repurpose a few things." Puzzled, he looked around. When he turned slightly, a vine with sweet-scented flowers brushed against his leg. He could barely move without bumping into a fruiting tree or lush green foliage. It was a stunning place. "Okay, but how could you improve on this?" "Oh I wouldn't call it improving, really, maybe just adding a little. I think we could move this boulder over there. It would really open the space up, and make more room to show off some of the things I'm making. You know, honey, I'd really love to showcase my crafts. I don't have patterns or anything. I'm just learning as I go. Aren't you proud of me?" "Well, sure, of course. I'm just kind of surprised, that's all." She handed him a wreath. "It took me all afternoon to make this. I'm going to hang it from that big branch right there. Look at the detail. It's really going to make a nice focal point. I really think the colors I've used are going to be all the rage this season." He studied it carefully. There was something in it he didn't recognize. "What are these?" "Those? Just some peelings." "I've never seen them before. What are the peelings from?" "The most delicious fruit. I had company this afternoon, and we had the nicest visit. Were you aware that the serpent can speak? Never mind, that's beside the point. He helped me string berries, and we had a few laughs. He's quite charming, actually. First thing you know, he talked me into trying the fruit." He looked at the beautiful woman sitting next to him. "You didn't." She shrugged. "Well, yes, as a matter of fact I did, and as you can see, nothing happened to me. It is the most delectable fruit I've ever eaten. I've got more right here. You should try it yourself. Go ahead, eat some." Hesitantly, he took the fruit and bit into it. A burst of honey-like sweetness exploded on his tongue. "Wow, that is good." "Told ya." "Yes, but now we've got a problem. The Maker will be by soon and He will see what we've done. He told us not to eat that fruit. That's the only thing He asked us not to do, and now we've disobeyed Him." "Here. Put on these fig leaves I stitched together this afternoon. At least we'll be presentable when He gets here." "You know, Evie, we're quite a pair, aren't we? You said earlier you didn't have a pattern for the things you were making, but we are different. God gave us a very carefully laid out pattern with one rule to follow, just one, and we couldn't even do that." "You're right, Adam. My visitor this afternoon was quite crafty, but I've only got myself to blame. What should we do?" "I think from now on we should follow the pattern. By the way, would you be needing any snake skin for any of your crafts?" Copyright 2006 Betty Castleberry ~The author is a retired-early-by-choice RN who lives in Texas with her husband and three parrots. She has a daughter, step daughter, and five grandchildren. She is a published author, and loves to write for the Lord. Email her @ [email protected] Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |