Before creation, God in his infinite foreknowledge, wisdom, and power knew what the world would be. He made Adam and Eve in his own image, with free will—the ability to follow him or go their own way. He knew what they would do, yet he did it anyway. What was he thinking?
The Bible says a little about what happened, but it doesn’t explain much about God’s motivation. He planted a garden in Eden and gave Adam and Eve the liberty of eating the fruit of every tree except one. We would build a fence around anything that threatened our children’s lives, but not God. Not only did he leave the tree open and available, but he also allowed Satan to tempt Eve, giving her a desire to go against God’s command, since she otherwise wouldn’t have had a reason.
May I stir your thinking even further with a speculative short story? This may not be the way it really was in the beginning, and it may not match your preconceived ideas. But if it opens fresh insights for you, how God alone is capable of designing and implementing such a perfect plan, it might be worth your time to read it.
In a formless void, God wants relationships with beings like himself. But by giving humans free will, will they love him and depend on him, or will they want to go their own way?