Not all those close to you, those who call you father or master, are necessarily your disciples or followers, and you are not always obliged to force them to see you as such! Those who listen to you are not necessarily those who love you, for Adam listened to God every evening, but he did not love God; rather, he loved his own glory. As it is written: “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

You are not always the ideal person for your children, nor are you always the model for those you lead. Be wary of those who try to make you believe that you are their father when, in reality, their actions do not reflect anything of you. Peter followed Jesus Christ, walked with Him, and later, in trying to deny this relationship to protect himself, he was betrayed by his own appearance because he had succeeded not only in loving Jesus Christ but also in acting exactly like his master. That is why, even as he sought to protect himself by denying his master (Jesus Christ), the woman was still able to recognize him. As it is written:

“And a little later, those who stood by came up and said to Peter, ‘Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you‘” (Matthew 26:73).

It is better to have a mute child who will never call you father or master but who will act exactly and perfectly like his father than to have one who calls you master day and night but does the opposite of what his father teaches. There are children who will never pronounce your name as you wish, but they will truly be your spitting image in everything they do.

The book of Esther is in the Bible, but God’s name is never mentioned; however, God’s actions are evident throughout the story. Do not destroy your Esther, for in reading her story, in reading her life, you will find your own hand in it. Do not destroy your child just because he does not call you father, for perhaps those who do call you father do so for other reasons. Adam had a father, but he envied him. That is why he sought in every way to become like him.

In the book of Genesis, where we find God’s name without His perfect will, and in the book of Esther, where His name is not mentioned, but His perfect will is present. Proximity does not always translate to socialization. Adam lived in the garden but modeled himself after another master (the serpent) rather than his Creator.

That is why, instead of following God’s advice not to eat the forbidden fruit, he listened to the serpent, who told him to eat it in order to finally become like his master (God). If you want to succeed in life, do as Jesus Christ did—have only one model, one master. As it is written:

“Then Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21).

Adam had a father, for it is written that every evening God came down to speak with him, and yet, despite God’s presence in the garden, man did not model himself after the God who visited him every evening. And because of this, he made mistakes. The failure to follow one God, the failure to have one advisor, will always lead to failure.

Adam became the source of misery for all humanity because he refused to have a single point of reference, but Jesus Christ became the source of blessing because He had a model—His Father. And He conformed to His Father, which is why the Gospel of John, chapter 5, verse 19, emphasizes:

“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.'”

Those who do not act like their fathers always end up in loss, like Adam! They make mistakes and create their own difficulties…

This text is an excerpt from the book The Errors of Adam written by Abel Kuminga.

We invite you to read the following article: “The Influence of the Name.”

Garden of Eden. Garden of Eden