The Garden and the Grasp: Where the Search Begins

 

                              
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
 Lord Acton's famous words echo across centuries, but they pale in comparison to an older truth spoken in humanity's first garden, where the original reach for power planted seeds that still bear bitter fruit today.

The Gift That Wasn't Grasped

In the beginning, there was no grasping. Only receiving.
Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground" - Genesis 1:26 (NIV)
From the very beginning, humanity was given something sacred: dominion, not domination (Genesis 1:26–28). God placed man and woman in a garden, not a battlefield, and handed them stewardship, not sovereignty. Dominion was a gift, rooted in relationship, reverence, and responsibility.

But the story takes a twist. A serpent speaks.

And with that conversation, a new narrative emerges: 
“You will not surely die… you will be like God” - Genesis 3:4–5 (ESV). 
This was the first temptation, which was an invitation to seize control, to redefine meaning, to grasp for power outside of God’s provision. It was the birth of the illusion that control equals clarity—that if we run the show, we’ll finally understand our part in it.

Social scientists note how exposure to certain narratives shapes identity and behavior. Albert Bandura’s (2001) social cognitive theory reminds us that observation doesn’t just inform, it transforms. Adam and Eve weren’t just tempted by fruit; they were redirected by a vision of autonomy they’d never imagined before. That single act was not about appetite but authority.

It was the first “grasp” (Genesis 3:6)—a reach not just for a fruit, but for a different kind of meaning: one detached from trust, rooted in control.

Power vs. Purpose

God never revoked humanity’s calling, but the way we pursue it changed. Throughout history, literature has repeatedly portrayed this yearning for power as a path to meaning. From Faust’s pact for knowledge to Orwell’s chilling 1984, we see a pattern: power promises clarity but often delivers chaos.

Modern research mirrors this tension. According to Keltner et al. (2003), the acquisition of power tends to increase a person’s tendency to act on impulse and reduce empathy. In the garden, this is not theory, it’s theology. Power, misused, creates fracture: between God and humanity, between man and woman, between humans and the earth (Genesis 3:16–19).

Where the Search Begins

This moment in Eden is not just ancient history, it’s a mirror. We all live somewhere between the garden and the grasp, navigating the subtle space between dominion and domination. Our environments, expectations, and exposures shape the narratives we follow.

So, let’s begin here and explore:

Can we truly find meaning through power?
How do our environments and exposures shape our expectations?
Are we reaching for fruit—or for something deeper?

Maybe the pursuit of purpose isn't about grabbing, but about growing.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Darnell Sheffield

References
  1. Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. Media Psychology, 3(3), 265–299. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0303_03
  2. Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110(2), 265–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.110.2.265
  3. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2001). Crossway Bibles.
  4. The Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Zondervan.


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