The Garden of Eden was beautiful, however Adam and Eve needed something more than beautiful surroundings. They needed - and we all need - an opportunity to grow. Adam and Eve were cast out of the beautiful Garden of Eden. They were thrown into a world where pain, sorrow, and death are ever present ( Genesis 3:16-19). And they were separated from their Heavenly Father. But because of the truths restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Book of Moses, we know that the story of Adam and Eve is actually one of hope - and an essential part of God’s plan for His children.
Leaving the Garden of Eden was the necessary first step toward returning to God and eventually becoming like Him. This meant facing opposition, making mistakes, learning to repent, and trusting the Savior, whose Atonement makes possible progression and “the joy of our redemption “(Moses 5:11). When we read and study the Fall of Adam and Eve, focus not on the seeming tragedy but on the possibilities - not on the paradise Adam and Eve lost but on the glory their choices allow us to receive the body of bone and flesh.
President Russell M. Nelson taught, “ It was our glorious Mother Eve - with her far-reaching vision of our Heavenly Father’s plan-who initiated what we call “the Fall”. Her wise and courageous choice and Adam’s supporting decision moved God’s Plan of Happiness forward”.
I can’t wait for the day to meet Adam and Eve to thank them for giving up the ease and the comfort of the garden where everything goes continuously that they don’t have to sweat or feel pain or sorrow, they give that all up so they can have children, so it’s all about family. The Fall is a blessing to each of us, Adam and Eve should be honoured as the first parents of all mankind.
- Patriarch Mataipule
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