Leviticus 25
The reward for dwelling in observance of the Sabbath
Admit it – you all love reading and studying Leviticus, right? There is a lot of laws in there!! Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. As you can see by the title I had planned to learn a little more about dwelling in the Sabbath years (not just day) and the Jubilee as discussed in Leviticus 25…and then life happened. I woke up in a not so jubilant mood. So then I thought- I am just going to skip the blog this week. And then I poured out my heart on Facebook – we are talking full on pity party of one! Lip so pouty a bird could sit on it (although sit is not he word my mother used to tell me about when I pouted as a child). But God….
But God…even in my lowly of lows and lonely of loneliest – He was still there to meet me right there in the pit. On a day where maybe, I couldn’t encourage you al in your walk with the Lord, he used some of you to encourage me. You shared your Sunday sermons with me even though it was the first one you had heard in a year and it was so surprisingly real to you it brought you to tears. You shared your “me too” moments with me. You shared prayers and even told me I was awesome. Not so sure I agree with you on that point. However, the day continued and if my thoughts ever quiet down I am going to bed in a much better mood than I was 12 hours ago.
You see even when I have these days which happen more than I would want to admit – I don’t usually feel far from God. I just feel far from God’s people. I want to know how we can realistically change this! I love it when my all over the world friends say “if I was closer I would…” But would they? I mean, it is easy to say ” I would” when you don’t have to find a sitter, or brush your teeth, or put on a bra. How do we create a Bat signal to let others in our neighborhood and communities know we need a hero? Another woman to just be there and say “me too, girlfriend. Me too”
My husband teases me about wearing a “be my friend” sign around my neck but what if we tie green ribbons on our trees or front doors? Then will you sweep in like a breath of fresh air or coffee or baby smells, maybe grab a handful of stale chips out of the half-eaten bag and politely ignore the fact that your elbow is now sticking to my kitchen island? We can keep the words at a minimum and just smile with that look that says “I got ya!” You are welcome here at 3am or 3pm but just now at either time you are just as likely to catch me looking like I just rolled out of bed, my smile will be real and I will do my best not to breath my un-brushed teeth smells on you.
And if I see that green ribbon at your house, please don’t be surprised if you find me napping on your couch. I mean I could just as easily nap on my own couch but what’s the fun in that? These spontaneous real life moments are the cornerstones of friendship. It doesn’t get much more real than that. There is a time for deep conversations, crisis of faith and motherhood and planned activities that require make up and details. But in the day to day- let’s be real. Let’s be open. Let’s be honest. Let’s cry out when we need to cry out and rejoice when it’s time to rejoice. And let’s do it together. As God’s chosen ones! Who are loved beyond compare! He chose us to live life with abundant joy- Let’s do that- you and me together! What is one thing you can do differently today to let another woman know ‘ I got ya” – bonus points if you do it for a friend you don’t know yet!
P.S. I know there are some scriptural references in there – feel free to add the “addresses” in the comments or maybe I will do that when I get up 🙂
Gena Christofferson 