There's Always a Fly in the Ointment
One of the traditional teachings of the church that has taken it on the chin over the past few decades, and rightfully so, it that of "original sin."
Often this teaching has been interpreted to mean that all of us are naughty from birth and that we need to be baptized, especially as babies, to deal with the naughtiness. Ugh! Not helpful. But I am convinced that we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater!! What original sin suggests in the most helpful way is that there will always be a fly in the ointment, something we experience regularly in our relationships. There will always be struggle between siblings. They always are working to prove themselves before their parents. There will always be struggle between men and women in their marriages because difference produces friction and lack of understanding. (Same-sex partners will be able to identify difference in their relationships, too.) There will always be challenges between parents and their grown children. The grown children are establishing themselves, pursuing their goals, while the older adult parents are beginning to let go and often are less concerned about pursuits and accomplishments. There will always be a fly in the ointment. I think original sin is meant to make sure we aren't surprised when life and relationships aren't the perfect things we think they should be.