Misunderstood
Confession: I hate being misunderstood. My need to be understood has, at times, driven me to over-explain, blame others, and yes — even lie in self-defense (which isn’t being “understood” but falsely justified). Mostly, it has certainly driven others crazy! (Ask my husband!) In the reading from Genesis (39:7-20) today, I find myself wondering, Did Joseph […]
Worship Him
“20 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. 21 He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” 22 In all of […]
Grace Thief
25 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me (Job 19 — NIV). Job, despite brokenness of body and fragility […]
Tar Baby
So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10 — NIV). My daughter’s learning to read. The other day, she was introduced to the word ‘tar.’ “What’s ‘tar’?” she inquired. I answered, “Though it starts out an icky mess, over time, it becomes a protective covering.” […]
Garden Friendship
And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name… I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the LORD, in your presence… But,’ He said, ‘you cannot […]
More Salt, Please!
Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings” (Lev. 2:13 — NIV). I’m not one to enjoy really salty foods, and I try not to overuse salt when I cook because I figure it can […]
To Touch His Hem
25 “If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is unrelated to her menstrual period or if the blood continues beyond the normal period, she is ceremonially unclean” (Lev. 15 — NLT). But what if a woman experiences a flow of blood for months? Years? As I read this passage, I couldn’t help […]
At the Cross
“The Lord gave these instructions to Moses: ‘Command the people of Israel to remove from the camp anyone who has a skin disease or a discharge, or who has become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person. This command applies to men and women alike. Remove them so they will not defile the camp in which I live among them.’ So […]
The Difference a Verb Makes
“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed My […]
Our Angel of Mercy
“Love is just a word until someone special gives it meaning.” (Author unknown) Every mother wants to know her children are protected and loved. But what happens when one’s child comes to her old enough to have faced unprotected moments, yet is too young to recount or appreciate those times when someone DID step in to […]