Cleanliness

    My grandmother once told me that, "Cleanliness was next to Godliness." She probably said it when I was terribly dirty, which was often as a kid growing up on a farm. If she were living today, she would probably say it about my house. As the school year closes, my house takes backseat to my classroom.

    The past few chapters of Leviticus have been laws regarding how to stay clean. It is easy to forget, when reading, that this was the voice of God speaking to Moses. It sounds more like a modern day doctor explaining how to prevent illness. Without modern medicine, these laws are probably what sustained the Israelites in the desert for so long. Otherwise, disease and plague may have overtaken them.

    Today, while I clean away the papers and dust accumulated throughout this school year, I will wipe away any trace of this year's class except their class picture added to my board. I will prepare my classroom for the custodial staff to wax the floor by boxing up my belongings until August. Today's purging helps clear the room and lets it lie dormant until a new year begins.

    My cleaning may not be as dire as the cleanliness of the Israelites, but still necessary for life to move on.

Encouragement

Psalm 20

¹ May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
   may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
² May he send you help from the sanctuary
   and grant you support from Zion.
³ May he remember all your sacrifices
   and accept your burnt offerings.<sup>[b]

4</sup> May he give you the desire of your heart
   and make all your plans succeed.
⁵ May we shout for joy over your victory
   and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

   May the LORD grant all your requests.

Wouldn't it be nice to wake up to that every day? I did today. I am getting ready to go to work on the biggest day of the fifth grade year, graduation. Today I say goodbye to my students. Most I will never see again. That also means all the cleaning and packing of my room begins today. A lot of work lies ahead in the next three days. I also picked up a small writing job, and I have a conference next week at which I am the opening keynote speaker. I love to be busy, but sometimes it is just a lot of stress.

    I pray that the direction I am going with my career is the direction God wishes for me also. I love verse 4, "May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." I pray that for all of you today.

Hear My Prayer

    We teachers often say that as long as we are giving tests, children will be praying in our classrooms. Some pray to remember what they studied. Others pray because they didn't study. As a mother, I pray more now than ever before! I pray for my son many times throughout the day. I pray for my safety and the safety of my husband for the sake of my son. Sometimes we pray so much, it becomes routine and loses its power.

    I read Psalm 19 today. This reads as a beautiful prayer. It begins by praising God for his glory and all he does for us. In the end, the writer prays for two things related to his sins. He prays for God to forgive his hidden faults and to forgive his willing sins. This struck me as interesting because I am not sure I ever prayed for forgive of any sin unless it was a willing sin. God is fair but holds us accountable for all of his laws, whether we know them or not. We are responsible for knowing the entire Bible, whether or not we read it is our choice.

    Today, when I am saying my silent prayers, I will be more mindful of praying for my unknown sins.

Graduation

    My brother-in-law graduated from high school today. The day could not come soon enough for him, and my in-laws were in dismay that it came so quickly. The eleven year age difference between my husband and his youngest brother created an indestructible bond making my husband fit somewhere between a brother and father figure. We were talking tonight after the party about how quickly the past few years have gone by. As my brother-in-law sets out in his journey and begins a career in the Air Force, we debated what our prayer for him will be tonight. What do you say about a person just beginning?

    As I sat down, finally, tonight to read my Bible for the day, I found my prayer for my brother-in-law in Psalm 17. Everything in these four verses, I wish for him. I hope that he seeks God for answers and for guidance. If God leads his way, no decision will be wrong.

 ⁶ I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
   turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
⁷ Show me the wonders of your great love,
   you who save by your right hand
   those who take refuge in you from their foes.
⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
   hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
   from my mortal enemies who surround me.

 

 

Anxiety Relief

    Today's Bible readings are Psalm 15-16 and Leviticus 13, but let me give you another verse that is in my heart today. "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm 94:19

    Around 4:45 this morning my two year old woke me up with his cries for me and for a "wipee." Usually this means he needs to wipe his nose or something is stuck in his nose. I walked into his room, and in my sleepy fog and his dim light, I saw blood all over his face, smeared on his sheets, and all up and down his arms and chest. He was crying and asking me to wipe his nose, which was dripping blood.

    As a teacher, I am no stranger to kids with nose bleeds, but it took my breath to see my son covered in blood. I yelled for my husband to help, and we began to clean up our son and his bed. The bleeding lasted only a few minutes. Our son asked to go back to bed. My husband went back to our bed, but I was left shaken. This verse popped into my mind.

    More than an hour later, I sat down to read today's passages. Leviticus 13 made me laugh! It is all about defiling skin disorders and defiling mold! I thought to myself, "If Moses could see have seen my son this morning, he would have written a chapter about bloody little boys making the camp unclean instead!"

    For all of you parents out there, I hope you have consolation in your soul today!

Back Tracking to Leviticus 10

    There are times in our lives that we hear a whisper telling us something is right or wrong. Some call this your conscience; some call it the Holy Spirit. Movies and cartoons depict an angel or demon sitting upon our shoulders giving advice. The trick is to listen.

    There is a young man coming to fifth grade next year who is autistic. When we think of children with autism, the spectrum is so large the label can just about encompass any behavior under the sun. This particular child has a problem with stealing. If he sees something he wants, he doesn't have a part of him that tells him he can't have it. He doesn't understand that it belongs to someone else and stealing is wrong. Instead, he has perfectly rational reasons for taking things. To him, his excuses make perfect sense.

    He stole money off of a teacher's desk because he wanted to buy something at the book fair. He said he NEEDED the money. Then he stole rubber bands and said the teacher never used them so it didn't matter. He also has stolen simply because he saw something he wanted, and since he wanted it, he should have it.

    Without understanding this child and his disability, you may just think the kid is a brat who doesn't want to listen to guidance. Actually, he doesn't have the angel or demon on his shoulders. There isn't a functioning part of his brain that tells him stealing is wrong, at least not like ours.

    The reason for this rambling? Leviticus 10! Aaron has four sons. Two didn't follow the guidelines of God. They were burned to death as a result. It sounds extreme, especially given that the guidelines they didn't follow are not followed by us today either. We like to rationalize our reasons for not following God's will. Sometimes we have reasons that others agree with, sometimes we are just making excuses for ourselves. The fact of the matter is, though, if God gives an order, we better do it! He may not burn us to death on the spot, but judgment day won't be for the faint of heart.

Lament and Rejoice: More from the Psalms

    I don't know for sure who wrote Psalm 13, but whoever it was, David or a team of songwriters, they must have been in pain. They begin by crying out to God for relief and for God's presence to be felt. Then it ends with thanksgiving for all the blessings they have in their life. The Psalms are beginning to read like a rollercoaster of emotion!

    Psalm 14 takes a different angle. It sounds almost angry! The author, probably David or it was written for David, is protesting the evil around him. He is upset the evil-doers are overtaking his men. He writes that God is with the righteous and will be a safe haven for those that are good. Basically, one day the evil ones will get what's coming to them.

    Not too far from here a police officer killed his ex-wife. During the chase that ensued, he shot a State Trooper. My husband and I were discussing what it would take to make one of us want to kill someone. I can't imagine that much anger welling up inside of me. Anger like that is all-consuming. We agreed that he COULD get the death penalty for this, but a stay in prison may be hellacious torture because he was a police officer.

    It isn't my job to judge others here on Earth. I know that the Day of Judgment is coming soon enough. I imagine David felt this way too. Psalm 14 ends by saying that one day God will restore the people of Israel. It doesn't matter what good or what evil dwells here on Earth. One day the lamenting will end, and only rejoicing will be heard.

 

****I also read Leviticus 11-12 this morning. I find it fascinating that God delivered such detailed regulations about what animals could or could not be eaten. I would love to know why God made these rules and why they are not followed so much anymore. I know very little about Kosher cooking, but I know not all Jewish people follow these beliefs. Perhaps this is another topic I need to research!