On Being Different

 

Being different is something that I personally struggle with, so I don’t know how well qualified I am to write on the subject, but it’s what God has put on my heart this morning, so here it goes…

Exodus 32:29 tells us,

“You have been set apart to the Lord today,”

Great, so what exactly does that mean? To be set apart means to stand out in a special way. Here, Moses is telling us that we were made to be set apart for God, which undoubtedly also means we have to be different.

This verse continues to say,

“for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day”

Being set apart means that we’re going to make some enemies along the way, and it’s going to hurt, and it’s going to be hard, but God promises that it will also be worth it. He will bless us for following His way, but following His way might mean losing an important friendship, relationship, job, hobby, etc. Being set apart for God requires selflessness and sacrifice.

What is God calling you to sacrifice for Him?
Are you willing to make that sacrifice?

One of my favorite verses is Matthew 6:21,

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

What do you treasure?
What does that say about who you are/what is important to you?

Along the way, you’re bound to be hurt. People are going to sin against you, and–if you’re like me–you’ll struggle to understand where God was and what He’s going to do about it now. However, in Exodus 32:34, God explains,

“when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin”

The next time someone makes you feel bad or hurts you because you are different, take comfort in this verse, knowing that–when the time is  right–God will punish that person for his/her sin. This knowledge might not make it hurt less, but you can rest assured that God is a God of Justice, and He won’t let evil and sin triumph over you or His love for you.

And finally, when the path of difference makes you weary and afraid, I hope you find comfort in Exodus 33:14,

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Dare to be different.

God’s Assurances

 

Self doubt.

Self doubt is definitely one of my worst vices, but I certainly never expected to find a character in the bible (of all places) that struggled with this same issue as much as Moses–a man chosen and set aside by God–does.

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt.'” Ex 3:11

“And God said, ‘I will be with you.'” Ex 3:12

At first, it might seem like God’s response is a bit… well brief. There are so many things that He could have rushed to say to Moses to remind him of his value and worth, but instead, God simply says, “I will be with you.” Knowing that we are not alone, however, can be one of the most powerful and necessary things we need to know in our worst moments. After all, if God is with us, who or what do we have to fear?

But still, Moses feels unsure about himself and challenges God further,

“O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue” Ex 4:10

And God simply says,

“I will…teach you what to do” Ex 4:15

God doesn’t require or expect us to know what to do. We are, after all, only human. Instead, God simply requires us to trust Him, and He will show us the rest.

In what areas of your life do you need to ‘let go’ and trust that God will show you what to do?

—-

“The lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” Ex 14:14

This is one of my favorite verses, because it means that I don’t have to worry about anything–God has it all under control. Does it mean that I don’t worry? Not at all (that’s definitely something I still need to work on). It just means that I don’t have to worry, and simply knowing that can be a really powerful thing.

God’s promise to us is this:

“if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession” Ex 19:5

God made a lot of really cool stuff. He made the majestic mountains, beautiful sunsets, radiant flowers and fields, and all of the adorable (and not so adorable) creatures of the earth. To be treasured above all of that, is a powerful feeling.

You are God’s treasured possession.

Sit with those words for a moment.

“The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation
He is my God, and I will praise Him
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

Ex 15:12

“In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling”

Ex 15:13

Strife and Struggle

To those of you reading this, who have read any portion–big or small–of the bible, isn’t it the greatest book ever?! That’s how I feel after delving into the next section of my challenge–the book of Exodus. I’m learning so much about God, from God, and about myself, and I’d like to take a moment to thank those of you reading this for joining me on this journey, despite my inconsistencies.. I’m always amazed by how much better I feel after spending time with God, even when I really don’t feel like doing it at first.

~~~~

These past few weeks, in my conversations in class and with my campus ministry team, we have been focusing a lot on struggles. Despite how isolated and alone we might feel sometimes, everyone experiences struggle and strife in this life. I’m recently learning that these problems and struggles do not define who we are as people. Our defining moment isn’t what our struggles are, but how we carry the cross we have been given. In Exodus 1:12, we read that,

“the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread”

As the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites worse and worse, God blessed the Israelites more and more. Eventually, the Israelites become so great in number that the Egyptians “dread[ed]” them. Clearly God had no intention of leaving the Israelites to struggle alone. How great is that, to know that God never leaves us during our worst struggles?!

In Exodus 1:17, we see yet another beautiful act of faith from the midwives, who potentially risked their lives to do what was right and just.

“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do”

These women didn’t know what would come of their decision to disobey the king, but they feared disobeying God more than disobeying the king. Who, or what do you fear most?

—-

It is so easy for me to forget how loved I am by God, so I am personally thankful for how often God reminds us in the bible that He loves and cares for us, like He does here in Exodus 2:24-25,

“God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them“

That last sentence really hits home for me. Fill in the blanks: God looked on _____(insert your name) and was concerned about (him/her). God is concerned about each and every one of us. That’s a powerful realization.

Again, in Exodus 3:7, God reminds us that He is never far away while we are suffering and struggling.

“The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have head them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering‘”

God cares. He sees how much you are hurting, how much you are struggling, and He is concerned about you.

Verse 8 shows us that not only does God care, but He is going to do something about our suffering too.

“So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”

In this context, God is referring to the land of Canaan, where He intends to lead His people, but I also interpret this to mean that God sent His only son to rescue us from evil, from sin, so that we might be raised up and out of our suffering in this world, into “a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” aka Heaven.

How can you allow God’s love for you to infiltrate your suffering, your life, and everything you do today?

Our God is Greater

As I finished reading Genesis this morning, I was simply amazed by God. He never once grew discouraged when His people sinned or failed or messed up. How great is it to know that our God is greater than our worst mistakes and our ugliest sins? God’s great patience and love are absolutely inspiring. If God has that kind of love and patience for me, surely I can extend that same love and patience to those around me–with His help, of course.

Joseph is another inspiring character that I found in the end of Genesis. In chapter 39, Joseph refused to sin against God, despite Potiphar’s wife’s greatest temptations. This decision cost him his job and freedom, but he was still brave enough to stand up against sin, and–as a result–God blessed him for it. Joseph had already experienced a terrible life. His brothers bullied him for being their father’s favorite. They stole his clothes, sold him into slavery, and told their father that he was dead. He had every reason to be angry with God and abandon his faith, but he remained unmoved by his circumstances. His faith was greater than any evil that came his way. Think about how much easier it would be for us to say no to sin if we reminded ourselves that God would reward our faithfulness. Regardless of the reward–I pray that I can grow to be as brave as Joseph when I am forced to face such difficult situations.

One of Joseph’s greatest attributes throughout these difficulties was his patience with God. Joseph was wrongfully imprisoned after clearly resisting the temptation to sin. How is that fair? In this moment, it doesn’t seem like God is rewarding Joseph for his faithfulness any time soon, but still, Joseph remained faithful and God was with him. Joseph was put in charge of the prisoners because everyone could clearly see that God, was indeed, with him for everything he did and touched prospered. However, looking at the bigger picture, Joseph was still in jail. How could that be a part of God’s plan? Joseph couldn’t possibly have known about the power and wealth he would later acquire, but he still remained faithful while God used this experience to grow him and prepare him for his powerful position in the future. God was clearly greater than Joseph’s circumstances.

Sure enough, God blessed Joseph by making him governor of Egypt and second in command only to the pharaoh of Egypt. It’s amazing to see how Joseph’s faith remained the same. His faith didn’t waver once in the years he spent in jail, and he never stopped glorifying God once after he became a powerful leader in Egypt. It’s very easy for our faith to waiver and change as we experience the ups and downs of life, but Joseph’s circumstances never once affected his faith. How amazing–truly inspiring!

Jacob, also known as Israel (Joseph’s father), gives us an important quote that tells us that our God is greater than even death.  When speaking with his son Joseph, Jacob comforts his hurting son when he says,

“I am about to die, but God will be with you.” Gen 48:21

When you’re hurting, regardless of what your circumstances are, remember two things:

“God will be with you.” Gen 48:21

and

Our God is Greater

God will get you through whatever you are struggling with, and He will bless you beyond your greatest expectations. We just have to be patient and faithful like Joseph.

I absolutely love this last quote from Joseph, when he is speaking to his brothers:

“But Joseph said to them, Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Gen 50:19

Bad things happen in life, things that we can’t explain. People do things with the deliberate intention to hurt us, and it hurts and it doesn’t make sense and sometimes it can even affect our faith. But the good news is, that God can turn around any situation–good or bad–and use it to grow us and prepare us for His greater plan, because

Our God is Greater

What can you do to remain faithful and patient with God while He works to do something even greater with your life?

The Center of Our Storm

It turns out that falling miserably behind in my reading/reflecting/blogging actually worked in my favor. While I was lost in my reading, I observed a recurring theme from Genesis chapters 24 through 37. I was amazed at all the chaos I observed in these thirteen chapters. These characters did some really terrible and messed up things to each other–their actions certainly weren’t Godly, just, or righteous. Just when I thought that there was no one in the bible that could have possibly messed up as much as I have–no one for me to relate to–God goes and proves me wrong. I’ve done some pretty terrible things and my life hasn’t exactly been perfect. As I was reading, I struggled to understand why these characters acted the way they did, when they heard God’s voice and commands so directly and intimately. Admittedly, I was surprised by how weak these characters were and by the choices they made, despite God’s clear presence in their life.

Wait a minute–rewind–those last two sentences apply to me. If someone were reading my story, he/she would probably ask his/herself why I didn’t just change my thoughts, because God is clearly present in my life. God is there in the smile of a stranger, in the hugs from my friends, and in the beauty of the world around me, each and every day. Some days it’s just really hard to see God and accept his presence because of all the other crap that is going on in our lives and through our heads. Sure I’m constantly praying throughout the day, but if I realized that God is there, right beside me, through my worst storms, I wouldn’t pray so hard for help as I would rejoice in thanksgiving for His loving support. We get so caught up in the turmoil of the storm that we lose sight of The One who is in the center of our storm, and what He is offering us–love, peace, acceptance, hope, and strength.

I was amazed and certainly encouraged as I repeatedly saw God’s presence in these character’s lives despite how bad they messed things up.

In Genesis chapter 24, when Abraham’s servant expresses doubt in himself and in God, Abraham gives us this first quote of encouragement about God’s constant presence amidst our greatest doubts and concerns in the storm of life:

 “The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success.” Gen 24:40

(This is certainly a quote to write down and post on my wall somewhere) How cool is it to realize that God is always with us and before us, making the crooked paths straight, preparing everything for us to be successful?

As quick as Abraham is to reassure his servant and all of us of God’s great providence, Esau leads the way in turning away from God to satisfy his own needs himself. In Gen 25:24-34, Esau trades all of God’s promises for the immediate gratification of food. In this moment of weakness–physically and spiritually–Esau loses everything. I can’t blame Esau, I’m definitely guilty of putting my own needs above everything else, overlooking that fact that God will provide and take care of me. The important thing to remember is that God didn’t leave Esau because of his small faith–God still blessed Esau and took care of him later on in Genesis.

Moving forward, in chapter 26, Issac lies about Rebekah being his sister out of fear that claiming her as his wife would bring him death. (Lets be honest, what would you do in that situation?) When the leaders of the city see that Rebekah is Issac’s wife, they become angry because if one of them laid with her, it would have brought guilt upon them all. Despite the fact that Issac lied, “Issac…reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him. The man became very rich” Gen 26:12-13. The Lord blessed Issac, even though he lied.

God is with us.

The storm only gets messier as Rebekah and Jacob conspire against Issac and Esau in order for Jacob to get Issac’s blessing in chapter 27. Pretty messy, right? You might even have to re-read that sentence a few times to get a solid grasp on who is doing what to whom. At this point in his life, Issac is very close to death. His sight is failing, along with the rest of his body. You could probably equate what Rebekah and Jacob do to someone who manipulates and robs a dying blind man on the street. I’ll leave it up to you, as the reader, to decide if the fact that Issac was their devoted husband and father (respectively) makes what Rebekah and Jacob did better or worse. My point however, is that what these people sinned against each other and against God, but

God was still with them.

Things only get messier for this family in Genesis chapters 27 and 28 when Esau plans to kill Jacob after their father, Issac, dies. Overhearing this, Rebekah, their mother,  tells her favorite son, Jacob, to flee. In an attempt to make Jacob’s departure not look suspicious, Rebekah convinces Issac to bless Jacob so he can go away and find a pleasing woman to take as his wife. It’s getting kind of hard to follow, right? That’s what happens when we lie to and deceive others; life gets messy. Reading this part of the bible is almost like watching a Soap Opera. You can’t believe these characters are still making the same silly mistakes, and you just want to reach through the television screen or in the text, grab these characters, and shake some sense into them. Will they ever learn? Will I ever learn?

As Jacob journeys to Haran to find a wife, God comes to him in a dream. Despite the deceitful things Jacob has done, God assures him that He will bless Jacob with many descendants. God assures Jacob of His presence in Jacob’s messy life when he says,

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back… I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Gen 28:15

After this encounter with God, Jacob gives us a beautiful example of what our faith should look like:

“If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Gen 28:20-22

In other words, if God promises to take care of us and provide for all of our needs–throughout even our greatest storms–then we have nothing to fear or doubt or worry about. We have only to trust Him and praise Him and give back to Him a portion of the blessings He has bestowed on us. I wish I had a faith like that–where I never worried about how I would pay all of my bills or where my next meal would from, but I simply trusted God to provide for me above and beyond what I could ever imagine. Jacob..1 Me..0. However, regardless of where my faith stands, I will find comfort in the fact that

God is with me.

In chapter 29, we see God’s faithfulness when Jacob finds a beautiful woman to take as his wife. My heart melted a little when I read this line:

“So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” Gen 29:20

That’s what serving God and loving God should feel like and look like. Our love should be so great, that we would do anything to be with Him. Even if it meant dutifully serving a deceitful, conniving man like Laban; nothing should stop us from serving God, because our love for Him should know no limits, just as Jacob’s love for Rachel knew no limits.

And then…the storm of life raged on once more in Genesis chapter 30 as Rachel and Leah compete for Jacob’s love by seeing who can give him the most sons. As a last resort, both women give him their maidservants to have even more sons. Yes, God was present in this storm too. When He saw that Leah was not loved as much as Rachel, God made Rachel barren and blessed Leah with many sons. Likewise, when God saw Rachel’s pain, he opened her womb and blessed her with sons too. God did not abandon either of these women, even as they added their maidservants into this messy competition for Jacob’s love and attention.

God was with them.

Despite what God has done for her, Rachel still sins against Him by stealing her father’s household gods in Genesis chapter 31. Did God abandon Rachel afterwards? No. He still protected her and her family as the traveled away from her homeland with her husband and children. God must love us a heck of a lot to never abandon any of us, despite how frequently or badly we sin. How great is our God?

I think it’s safe to say that we’re starting to see the pattern. Even as Jacob goes on to deceive his brother, Esau, again and as Joseph’s brothers betray him and sell him into slavery, God still never left any of them. So, remember these two quotes when you feel like you’ve fallen too far, messed up too bad, like you’re beyond the point of redemption:

“The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success.” Gen 24:40

and

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back… I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Gen 28:15

If you ever need a model for your prayers when you are anxious or afraid, I encourage you to look at Gen 32:9-12 and read Jacob’s prayer to God. Jacob reminded God of his obedience, he recounted all of the blessing God had bestowed on him, he begged God to save him, and he reminded God of His promises.

As you continue throughout the rest of your day, I encourage you to reflect on your own personal storm and observe how God has been present throughout your storm.

God’s Great Rewards

“God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me”; what a beautiful quote we get from Sarah in Genesis 21:6, after the birth of her son, Isaac, in her old age. In a previous post I reflected on how relatable it was when Sarah laughed in disbelief at God’s promise to her, and now I get to reflect on Sarah’s celebratory, joyous laughter. When I read this, I smiled as I remembered moments where I laughed with joy and awe at what God had done for me or for others in my life. I fondly refer to these as my “God moments,” moments where God’s love and greatness is overwhelming obvious–moments that warm my heart and affirm my faith in God and humanity.

Later on in this chapter, we see how God comforts two characters who are greatly distressed, Abraham and Ishmael, as we see in Gen 21:11:

“The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.”

So what was God’s response?

“Do not be so distressed” Gen 21:12

God could have chided Abraham for doubting that God would take care of him and his son. God could have become angry, hurt, and offended, and maybe He felt some or all of these emotions, but what He chose to say despite all of that is proof of His great love. God chose to comfort Abraham, to assure him that He would take care of everything. We all have things, people, situations, etc. that distress us each and every day. Some days our distress is worse than others, but God’s word is very clear: “Do not be so distressed” Gen 21:12. He’s got everything under control. As I like to say, Let go and let God. Let this verse be a reminder to you that in your moments of greatest (or worst) distress, that God has everything under control, even if you can’t see the way right now.

I think it’s also important to point out that God hears everyone’s cries–no one’s cry goes unheard by God. Abraham was a great man of God, a man of absolute sold faith-it makes sense that God would be understanding with him. Thus, we might be quick to tell ourselves that God’s loving compassion couldn’t possible include someone as low and undeserving as us. Would you like to hear (quite possibly) the best news ever? You don’t have to earn God’s love. You don’t have to deserve God’s love, because most of us don’t; He loves us anyways. 🙂

“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called” Gen 21:17

 Ishmael wasn’t a bad person from what we read in the bible, but we could assume that up to this point, he hasn’t done anything quite as moving as his father to prove his faith, and God still provided for and comforted him in his moment of distress–proving that no cry went unheard by God.

Chapter 22 in Genesis is one of those moving moments where Abraham’s faith reaches an even higher level of inspiring for me. I’m not a parent, so I don’t know what it would feel like to be asked, by God, to sacrifice my son, but I couldn’t even imagine sacrificing one of my best friends or family members. That pain would probably be beyond unbearable, and yet Abraham obeys, all the while trusting God’s great plan, when he says:

“God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering” Gen 22:8

I want that kind of faith. A faith so strong that I would do the absolute hardest thing I could ever be asked to do, all-the-while trusting God to provide, not understanding or knowing how it would all work out in the end. Abraham definitely deserves a big thank you and a huge congratulatory hug for having such a firm faith in God, a faith that truly knew no limits. Way to go, Abraham–you’re truly an inspiration and kinda-sorta my bible crush. Second to Jesus of course, because, well, he’s kinda THE man. (I hope you understand).

Sincerely,

Yours

Trusting God

 

As I began today’s reading, Genesis chapters 17-19, I found myself in awe of Abraham’s faith in and interactions with God. It seems like every time God comes before Abraham, Abraham has it all together. He bows and carries on a conversation with God as if it’s something people do everyday. Naturally, I started thinking about how I might act if God came before me in the next few seconds. Lets be honest, I’d probably forget to bow, my face would turn red, and I probably wouldn’t even be able to mutter a single coherent “Hi”.  God knew what He was doing when He chose Abraham to be a faith leader in the bible; then again, God always knows what He’s doing, even when we don’t.

The first few times I read the story of the Three Visitors (Genesis 18), I was always horrified when I got to the part where Sarah laughed when the angels of God told her she would bear a son. How could she laugh at such a profound message from God? Then I remember that Sarah is human, and I remember many occasions where I have laughed at very inappropriate times. I think about my own life–if someone came to me and told me that my hardest struggle would suddenly go away and I would never have to deal with it again, I would laugh. How can something that miraculous just happen? This is where I take a moment to pray for God to help my disbelief, because anything is possible with God. Like post-menopausal women giving birth to children and blind men being able to see for the first time.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is also encouraging, because we see that God was not willing to let Lot and his family, the only righteous people in these cities, to perish with the corrupt. Yet another reassuring example of how God rewards our trusting acts of faith. Lot didn’t have to let these strangers into his house and defend them against the evil crowds. He certainly didn’t have to offer sex with his daughters to protect these strangers, but he did. He took an act of faith, and, as a result, God saved him and his family. What an inspiring story.

The Road Less Traveled

I really enjoyed the message I took away from Genesis chapters 13-16. The stories of Lot and Abram and Sarai and Hagar both show us how taking the less favorable path and trusting God ultimately gives us the greatest rewards. When Lot and Abram determined that staying in the same land wasn’t an option with all of their belongings combined, Abram let Lot have the pick of the land. Naturally, Lot chose the more luscious land, leaving Abram the less than ideal land. Abram didn’t complain or fight Lot, he simply embraced what he was given and held onto his faith in God. In the end, Lot and all of his belongings and people were taken captive in the middle of a rebellion, and Abram had to go rescue him. Although Lot got the better land, the Lord blessed Abram for his faithfulness and humility. This is a great example of how graciously taking less is much more rewarding in the end.

Hagar’s situation wasn’t exactly ideal either. After Sarai willingly gave Hagar to Abram to take her as his wife and conceive a child, Sarai became incredibly jealous and treated Hagar terribly–so terrible that Hagar ran away in fear. In the end, God’s angel asked Hagar to submit to Sarai, promising to “so increase [her] descendants that they will be too numerous to count” Gen 16:10. I can’t imagine that submitting to a scornful woman was easy for Hagar, but God’s reward for her faithfulness was well worth any grief she received from Sarai. I know there have been many times where I have or at least wanted to run away from my problems, but Hagar gives us a great example of how facing our problems and enduring our struggles leads to even greater blessings.

God’s Faithfulness

The genealogy covered in Genesis chapters 10-12 is probably my least favorite part in the bible. The names are so hard to pronounce and why is it important for me to know whose son belongs to who and how old they all were? In all my attempts to read the bible from front to back, this is where I get stuck and lose interest. Needless to say, I was more than a little anxious as I began today’s reading. With each page I turned, I prayed for a verse or message to stand out to me and encourage me to continue reading. Then in finally hit me (Yes, I’m a bit slow). This painfully long genealogy is included in the bible to show God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is a consistent theme in the bible, and in this particular chapter, we see how God has faithfully rewarded Noah with numerous descendants-a reward which Noah has earned because of his own faithfulness to God. Just as God also keeps His promise to Abram in Genesis 12:2-3,

“I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you”

we can rest assured that God will keep all of the promises he has made to us. Promises to always love us, to never forsake us, and to always forgive us. Do we even need anything else?

Obeying God

Good morning! I pray today’s blog finds you richly blessed and well. Today’s reflection will cover Genesis chapters 7-9.

As I was reading the story of Noah and the Ark,  I couldn’t help but think how terribly uncomfortable, loud, and chaotic it would have been in the ark with at least two of every animal in there. While I enjoy great bear hugs and late evening snuggles with my friends, I do enjoy my personal space. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to share such a small space with so many animals and people for an entire year. Don’t get me wrong, I already respected Noah for being the only “righteous man” (Gen 6:9) of his time, but the fact that Noah’s obedience to God knew no limits is absolutely inspiring. Even in my own life, today, obeying God isn’t always comfortable or easy, but it’s always worth it. God’s covenant at the end of the flood is proof that Noah’s obedience was not overlooked or disregarded, just as our obedience to God today is never unnoticed. So what was God’s covenant? For those of us-including myself-that forget these small but rather important details, I’ll share it here:

“Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” Genesis 9:11

As a person who’s not so great at swimming, I took comfort in God’s promise here, but almost instantly that little voice of doubt in the back of my mind was saying, ‘What if God decided to destroy the earth some other way, by fire for example?’ In the end, I determined that God is a good God, and would save the righteous, like Noah. So, instead of living in fear that God might decide to make the earth a big sphere of fire, I will strive to righteous and blameless, like Noah, because then I will have nothing to fear.

The next verse that stood out to me was the sign of God’s covenant. Before you read on, anyone remember what that sign is? (Don’t worry, I had forgotten as well.) Before you drive yourselves crazy and curse yourselves for not knowing, I’ll spare you your turmoil: It’s a rainbow. How many times have your friends commented on or shared images of a beautiful rainbow, simply basking in its beauty? Now, how many times have you seen a rainbow and actually remembered that that rainbow is a visible reminder to us and to God of the covenant He made? I know I haven’t.

“Whenever the rainbow appears in the cloud, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the Earth” Genesis 9:16

I challenge myself, and you, to remember the real purpose for all of those beautiful colors in the sky after a terrible rainstorm.

The final message that stood out to me during my reading today was in Genesis 9:22, when Noah falls asleep drunk and naked (remember: no one is perfect).

“Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside”

For those of us who don’t remember how this story ends, Ham’s two brothers walk in backwards with a cloak to cover their father, never once laying eyes on their father. When Noah wakes up, he curses Ham, making him a slave to his two brothers. How many times have we seen someone do something embarrassing and ran to tell others, instead of helping them? Before you run to share something you saw or heard about someone else with others, stop and think about which will be more meaningful, more helpful, and most uplifting: to quietly help that individual, or run and gossip about their shortcomings to others?

I pray you chose the path most uplifting, in all that you do.

Do something to lift someone else up today.

In faith