The One Small “If”

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it.” — Genesis 2:16–17 (KJV)

Chesterton noticed something else about fairy tales. The good things in them often come with one strange condition. He gave it a grand name, “the Doctrine of Conditional Joy.”

In fairy tales, you may live in a palace of gold, if you don’t say a certain word. You may marry the prince, if you are home by midnight. You may open every door in the castle, except one.

“All the dizzy and colossal things conceded depend upon one small thing withheld.”

Chesterton says that people who complain about the condition are missing the point. He puts it like this: “If Cinderella says, ‘How is it that I must leave the ball at twelve?’ her godmother might answer, ‘How is it that you are going there till twelve?’” The whole wonderful gift was hers to give. Or, as Chesterton jokes, you “must not look a winged horse in the mouth.”

This helped Chesterton understand God’s commands. Many people think of God as a stern ruler who loves saying no. But look at the garden of Eden. God said: you may freely eat from every tree, except one. The command was one small “if” in the middle of an enormous yes.

God’s commands are like that. They aren’t there to stop us enjoying life. They protect the joy. Sexual purity guards the gift of sex. Honesty guards trust. Rest guards our health. The “no” serves a much bigger “yes”.

Chesterton also says that the more we see life as a gift, the more we want to say thank you. He wrote that the proper way to thank God for good things like food and drink is to enjoy them with humility and restraint. You thank God for a good meal partly by not being greedy with it.

Next time a command of God feels restrictive, remember the fairy tale. Look at the huge gift around the small condition. Ask: what is this “no” protecting?

One thing to do this week: pick one of God’s commands that you sometimes find hard. This week, write down the “yes” it protects. Then thank God for the gift around the condition.