The serpent tempting Adam and Eve in the garden asks, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees?" Eve responds that they may eat from any tree but one --- the tree of good and evil, saying that God told them, "You shall not eat of it or even touch it lest you die."

"You certainly will not die," the serpent responds. "God knows that the moment you eat it your eyes will be open and you will be like gods."

At this point, the serpent has Eve's attention. He's got her asking herself if she really knows that God is telling the truth, or if God is hiding something wonderful from her. If you do things God's way, the serpent says, you'll miss out on the very best this place has to offer.

This is, essentially, the same temptation we face every day. We have in our church and in the Scriptures clear guidelines for how to live; and yet also constant get the message from secular, consumerist media that essentially tells us, "That not true." We're told in advertisements and entertainment that it is more blessed to have than to give; and that we must take care of ourselves first.

For me, the struggle is very real --- the struggle to trust that God's way is the best. I struggle to not believe the message if I do things God's way, I'll miss out on the best that this world has to offer. I see advertisements for retirement plans, with couples and families in the prime of life, enjoying the wealth they've managed to save. I see television shows and movies showcasing beautiful, successful people will so much money and talent and happiness.

I wonder: If I truly live the Gospel message, and serve others before myself, will I be deprived of the pleasures and comforts these images tell me to desire?

Ultimately, what the serpent is telling Adam and Eve is that God really doesn't love them --- that God is hiding wondrous riches from them. They believe the serpent, and end up hiding from God. Instead of a relationship of love and trust, they are filled with shame and fear. It seems that they cannot again feel that they can accept God's love.

The temptation in the garden is the temptation we all experience --- the temptation to believe that what God offers us is not enough to make us happy. So often we turn elsewhere for love, for attention, for approval, and for satisfaction. This first Sunday of Lent calls us to reflect on the areas in our lives when we believe the voices that call us to false riches, the voices that tell us that God is hiding true happiness from us.

Lent is a time to remind ourselves that God does indeed love us and desires to give us every good thing. We are called to reconcile ourselves with God, and let go of the sense of guilt and shame that can keep us from accepting God's love and God's gifts.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.