Burning the Monkey's Paw

In 1902 an English author by the name of William Wymark Jacobs wrote a short horror story that would soon become his most well-known piece of work. It was called, The Monkey's Paw.The story tells of an elderly couple who simply go by the name of Mr. & Mrs. White and their grown, living-at-home son, named Herbert. While Herbert is the only surviving child left to the Whites, this family seems to have settled into a contented, convivial existence with each other in their humble English abode.
One evening, while Mr. White is waiting for a friend to arrive fresh at his doorstep from his service in India with the British Armed Forces, he busies himself with an amicable, but humorous, game of Chess with his son. Sergeant-Major Morris finally arrives and sits warming himself by the fireplace blathering on about his adventures over-seas, filling Mr. White with pride but leaving mother and son scratching their heads at what they suspect to be embellishments.
At the behest of Mr. White, Morris unveils a mummified monkey's paw that he claims has had a spell put on it by an old fakir. This talisman supposedly works like magic. This "holy man" wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.
Morris was the second man to possess this amulet, and he in turn received it from the first man whose last wish was for death. Morris has had his three wishes and and now desires to discharge himself of the charm so he pulls it from his pocket and immediately throws it into the fire. Mr. White scrambles to pull it out and claim ownership, even offering to pay for it. Morris tells him to pitch it into the fire like a sensible man. White refuses to do so and then Morris tells him that if he must have it, then to wish for something sensible.
Dinner has ended, bed-time is approaching, and Morris sallies out the door. A discussion ensues about what to wish for, but the old man remarks, "I don't know what I want, and that's a fact. It seems to me I've got all I want.".Herbert convinces his father that two hundred pounds couldn't hurt, implying the reasonable and manageable nature of the wish. Mr. White acquiesces, all the while feeling somewhat foolish. Mother, father, and son eventually make their ways to their respective beds with fear and excitement simmering in their consciences at the possible potency of the monkey's paw. They feel even more ridiculous the next day when no evidence is produced to verify the incantation, but they are still holding out. Herbert goes to work at the cotton mill, as usual, and by the time plates are ready to be set for dinner that night the old couple has decided to resign this foolishness to the shelf.
While preparing for the evening meal a mysterious man approaches their door and is invited in. He identifies himself as a messenger from the mill. Anguish fills the home as the man relays the terrible news that their son was caught in the machinery and could not be saved. He also informs them that the company disclaims all responsibility and admits no liability. However, for the son's service to this establishment, they will tender a certain sum of compensation.
Mr. White asks, "How much?"
"Two hundred pounds.", said the man.

The son is buried two miles away in a huge cemetery and the disconsolate parents return home to grieve the loss of what was their last remaining child. Ten days pass and on that night the old man wakes up to his wife crying by the window. She quickly works herself into hysterics as she remembers that there are two remaining wishes left on the paw! She chastises herself for not having thought of it before! "We can wish our boy alive again!". Mrs. White pleads with him to race down to the parlour to retrieve the paw while he vehemently challenges her to reconsider this asinine request. Mr. White tries to convince her that upon identifying the body, their son could only be recognized by his clothes due to the degree of mutilation the boy suffered, and this vision should not be regurgitated from the grave.
The old man eventually yields to his wife's appeals and descends the staircase with great trepidation. He returns with the charm and makes the wish. Some time passes to no avail and Mr. White decides to work up the courage and go downstairs. Fumbling to light a match, he drops the whole box when he hears a barely audible rapping at the door. He pauses and hears it again. He races back up the stairs and tells his wife that it was only a rat on the staircase that was heard. Suddenly, the knocking becomes so loud that it shakes the whole house. Mrs. White, in her delirium, knows that it is Herbert. She races down the steps and approaches the locked door, but struggles with the locks.
The knocking won't stop!
Mr. White begs her not to let it in!
He grabs the paw and makes one last wish just barely before she can get the door open. The knocking stops. The door flies open and a rush of cold air wafts up the stairs. Mr. White runs down the stairs, past his wailing wife, and out the door. The street lamp shone on a deserted road.


Mr. & Mrs. White admittedly had everything they needed and were actually happy. The only problem was that someone came along and presented an option to them that could give them something more, something different, something magical, almost.
In the end they lost what they loved the most and could only imagine going back to the way things were before. Were they warned? Yes. But they were also led to believe that they could manage a small wish as long as they were "sensible" about it.

All that has to take place to essentially destroy what we love the most is the insertion of an idea that crystallizes in our minds. We can't shake it! It tells us that we're missing out on something - that more is better, that while there are drawbacks they can be managed, or at least the gain is worth the loss. Sometimes, we fail to recognize that we are actually in a happy place with no more than what we have and that a fulfilled desire would only drive us deeper into a pit of despair.

This story is as old as time itself. It goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2 & 3.
What did Adam and Eve not have? Well, let's think about it. They lived in a lush, unpolluted world. They inhabited a non-aggressive environment, they didn't struggle with weight issues or arthritis, and they didn't have to pay bills. Not to mention that they never had to wonder if they were wasting their time with someone other than their soul-mate. Life was a breeze (probably at 74 degrees).
Adam and Eve had dominion over everything and the Garden as their smorgasbord (Gen. 2:16 & 17). God put only one prohibition on them....and that was to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (2:9). Doing so would bring death (separation).
None of this seemed to present a problem until Satan showed up (Gen.3) as a beautiful serpent and planted doubt in Eve's mind about the whole matter. He basically implanted the idea that the one who loved them and had already given them the whole world as their playground was obviously holding out on them. Satan told them that something magical would happen! Their eyes would be opened up and they would distinguish, understand, and experience good and evil. And you know what? He was right! He just downplayed the consequences and made the gain seem worth the loss. Once the thought had crystallized in her mind, a sense of entitlement swept over her. They probably genuinely felt that they would be able to manage this minor detail.

Adam and Eve lost (died to, were separated from) several things in The Fall. If you look closely then you will see that things are no different for us when we doubt God's goodness and provision and focus our thoughts and efforts on fulfilling wishes that cannot guarantee our best interests.

Here's what they lost:

1. They lost self-respect (3:7): They saw their own nakedness in a different light (I can relate). As a child of God, when we know that we've sinned we begin to see ourself in a very undignified way for our ignoble choices. Self-absorption and dashed expectations frustrate the mind and mars our ability to affectionately meet the needs of the ones we are to love and respect.
2. They lost faith in each other (3:12). Whether we are a witness to avarice and greed or are a purveyor of it, someone always gets thrown under the bus. Once the finger-pointing begins resentment develops and changes the way we feel about each other and affects how much we believe that can give of ourselves to others.
3. They lost cohesion (3:16-19): Part of the curse was that woman's desire would be for her husband and he would rule over her. Simply put - woman would failingly seek to define and measure herself through relationships, and man would failingly seek to define and measure himself through his work because of the difficulty in now providing for them. These are both overbearing characteristics that generally result in a train wreck. Both mean well, but they go about it the wrong way.
4. They lost joy in their purpose: The last point brings us to this point which is - Man was formed to enjoy creation and communion with his Creator but now he's so busy trying to clean his own mess up that he can't focus on that which matters most.
5. They lost peace: There's not a soul that could disagree that Adam and Eve probably spent their entire lives wishing that they could go back to the way things were when being with each other and walking with God was all they needed. And all because they just had to have that one thing!


The problem with discontentment and the accumulation of things to one's self is that what was previously considered valuable to us is now deemed valueless, at least until we've made our catch. But then we're miserable because it didn't fulfill our expectations, and then we're on to the next pursuit.
If we would trust God to be more than enough for us, then we would experience what Proverbs 10:22 says, The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. 1 Timothy 6:6 say, But godliness with contentment is great gain.

If someone hands you a monkey's paw - THROW IT IN THE FIRE!...and leave it there.

If you want to safeguard yourself from a life of wishful thinking then here's a tip: Be sensible and, Delight thyself in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Ps. 37:4. Practice putting things into perspective and assign value to what God has already provided you.