Some of Life's Lessons This Week

I must be getting really old cause I keep seeing lessons in everything I read and do.  I may be slowing down way tooooo much and smelling way toooo many roses! ha  Oh well, maybe you can reap something from my reflections. :)
In Sunday school we are studying the book of Leviticus - one of those Law books.  Most of the verses last Sunday started with DO NOT......and ended with OR YOU SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH.  Some were strange like do not wear two different kinds of cloth - I wonder what they do about blended fabrics we have now!  Then there was do not sleep with your relatives, your neighbors wife, another man, .... or you shall be put to death.  The punishment seemed a little harsh, but then the real lesson I gleaned from all of these DO NOTS is what one class member pointed out.  We raise our children these days that it is ok to experiment and try things for themselves - make their own decisions.  We don't give them imperatives like the DO NOT's in life.  Are we doing them justice by not setting standards and requiring them to follow them and if they DO NOT, they WILL be punished.  It is easier to let them explore and over look most of the things they do that we really don't like, because we don't want to rock the boat.  We want them to like us and think we are cool parents.  Maybe that is why so many of our children's generation lacks motivation to do good; have low standards for themselves; are under achievers and do not seek God's will for their lives.  It is much harder to be strict parents where the child knows what is expected of him.  So for you young couples starting on raising families, I know it is hard, but be your child's parent not just their friend.  Of course, there are loving ways to accomplish this.  Awesome responsibility!!

The second thing I realized this week was that it is common to hear the phrase, well nothing surprises me anymore.  That is a sad commentary on our society.  Things should surprise us.  We should be shocked.  If our standards were higher, maybe less of the bad in our world would be happening.  If you knew that your world would be shocked if you did something wrong, it might deter us.  We have become a numb society.  Sad.

And, the last lesson I learned came from the book by David Jeremiah called What In The World Is Going On?.  In biblical times, when someone left the table and had their napkin crumpled, it meant they were finished and not coming back.  If they left the table and folded their napkin neatly and laid it beside their plate, that meant they would return so do not disturb their place.  Now I honestly don't think many waiters in our day would know this tidbit, so you might not want to go to the restroom and leave you half finished plate of food with a neatly folded napkin beside your plate.  However, the interesting thing I read, was that when Jesus was in the tomb for three days and He arose, the clothes that were wrapped around His body were not disturbed (they still had the shape of his body) but the cloth used on His head was neatly folded and laying to the side of the other clothes.  This meant He would return representing the fact that He will return one day and we need to have our hearts prepared for His return.  What a glorious time that will be!  Are you ready?
Have a Blessed Day!