Wednesday, September 8, 2010

oh, noah.

The amount of rain that is currently falling out of the sky is making me think this morning. Of what you ask? Well, of Noah. Obviously.

Oh, how cliche of me. It's raining like mad and I'm thinking of Noah.

Other than elementary Sunday school and like, one lesson in college that I taught to some 9th graders I've spent very little time studying Noah. But, I think of him often.

I think of this man, Noah, who's story literally blows me out of the water. (Did you like that?) Like, for real. Here's this dude living his life, doing his thang, walking with the Lord and so and so forth.

Then, one day, when he's like at the market or something the Lord, God himself, starts talking to Noah. And not just talking like He talks to me, but really talking..."I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them." And you know what Noah did? Everything that the Lord told him to do. All of it. And you know what the Lord did? He flooded the damn Earth just like he said he would.

Can you imagine? I mean, can you really fathom being the one dude on Earth the Lord has favored? The one fellow that the Lord trusts? Basically, Noah is the one guy the Lord is not completely pissed at. That's a lot to shoulder, wouldn't you say?

When you think of it that way and not in the way that Noah was just this zookeeper on a boat, you get it. You really get it.

The Lord has not asked me to build a boat and father the human race. He has not asked me to be responsible for the Earth and all the animals on it. But, He has asked me trust Him. To follow and study His word, to make His name known, to love others as He loves me and you know what? Most days it'd be easier for me to go out and build a damn boat than to do all of those things. But, in spite of that, He loves me. He pursues me relentlessly. Just like He pursues everyone.

All of our boats are different. The Lord asks different things of each of us. But, he expects the same from all of us: to go, to be obedient, to trust. To, metaphorically speaking, build boats.

Today, I'm thankful for Noah and his obedience.

Also, I'm thankful that I wasn't on that boat and responsible for cleaning up all the animal shit. Can you imagine the amount of kitty litter you have to use to soak up elephant poop?

Thanks, Noah.


3 comments:

Morgan said...

If I was Noah's wife I'd be pissed that the Bible doesn't mention my name...I mean...Afterall, let's be honest she was definitely the one cleaning up that elephant poo out of the kitty litter.

(Note: According to Jewish tradition her name was Naamah. Maybe they left it out because that's such a bad name?)

Mary Virginia said...

I'm printing and framing this one. Might be my favorite ever. And, it makes it even better that this post was preceded by a post about Bachelor Pad.

Beth said...

I can no longer read these at work....it's blocked for some reason. Because of this incredibly bummer-ish reality, I am behind in reading your posts. I'm catching up tonight....and I LOVE this one!! Would you be ok with me copying this? It has some total greatness in it, and I'd like to share it with some peeps. Hope you are well!!

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