This picture was taken a few days ago on the island where I grew up. It is still amazing to me to think that I lived my entire life on this tiny little barrier island that is less than a quarter mile wide in some places.
When I was a little girl, my mom taught me a little song that goes like this:
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
But the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
And the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
The rains came down, and the floods rose up.
And the house on the sound fell down. CRASH!
After singing this song a few times, I got to thinking..."Mom, why is our house built on the sand like the foolish man? If a hurricane comes, our house could go CRASH???" My patient mom would then try to explain how the "stilts" that our house sat upon actually were dug very deep into the sand, so our house shouldn't go anywhere.
Well, as I was reading the Torah portion this week, I was struck by how much I feel like Noah's family at this time. There's so much going on around us - the economic crisis, a crazy election process for our nation, a "holiday" that exhorts witchcraft and paganism, just to name a few. In the midst of all this confusion where even fellow believers seem to be "going with the flow" of society, following God's Word can definitely make you stick out like that proverbial old sore thumb.
However, as we read about Noah and his family, it's comforting to know that most of the time the people who ARE following the Scriptures ARE different. And that is simply because the Word of God has not, does not, and will not ever change. It is that Rock spoken of by Yeshua in Matthew 7. Yes, in this world it is popular to be flexible, to be fluid, to be like "shifting sands." "The Constitution is living," they say. "It is to be interpreted differently with the times."
It's time for the people of God to be unpopular. To do hard things. To be different. To be built on the Rock and not on the sand. I will not apologize for offending anyone. I'm not being judgmental. God is the Judge of all. He alone judges me and everyone else in the world. However, we can know how to please Him - we just need to look in the Book!
As you read the Torah portion for this week, be sure to check out Matthew 7 along with it.
Shabbat Shalom!
In case you were wondering, read "Do Jews Celebrate Halloween?" here.
3 comments:
You are so right! It is past time we stick out like sore thumbs. Time for us to stand up and defend the words of Yah. Beautifully spoken.
I have just started reading your blog recently. It is nice to see other Messianics blogging.
Thanks for the comment. It's nice to "meet" other Messianic bloggers on here!
Beautifully said. That is my oldest (2yrs) daughter's favorite song for her Dad and I to sing together.
And love the Halloween article. Thank you for linking to that.
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