It's amazing how you can go from nothing to say to not knowing which of several things you want to narrate.
Okay, I'll start with the bizarre.
First, you have to understand that we live in a basic, suburban-type neighborhood. Although the neighborhood is surrounded by a small strip of woods, it's mostly just houses and yards. So yesterday when my 4-year-old daughter, who was looking out of the front window, mentioned a deer, she got my attention. I looked out, expecting to see a big dog. It was big all right, but it wasn't a dog. It was a large nanny goat, looking to be in need of milking. She was headed for my open garage. And behind her cruised three police cars.
Well, this was better than O'Reilly on TV, so there we were--a family of four, hanging our heads out the windows, watching the show. The first thing I noticed was that the police didn't seem quite equipped to handle the situation. Just a bunch of officers glancing nervously at one another as they walked gingerly toward the goat. I don't know what they thought they would do if they caught her. The goat moved on pretty quickly, but the police force set up headquarters in front of our house and headed out after her, so I knew the show would be back. Eventually an animal control truck turned up, and those people seemed a bit better prepared, with a couple of those poles with loops on them--you know what I mean.
The show went on for a while. It was never really resolved. Everybody just sort of came back here, got in their cars and went back to their respective headquarters. Last night my husband was kind of scared to go running.
* * *
I've been reading Deuteronomy lately. In fact, I just finished it up. The last few chapters relate how Moses, who knew he was going to die, pulled together the nation of Israel and gave them his last message from God. The basic message was this: choose. They could choose God, and choose to live--to live well, live abundantly, and there were specific things God would bless if they chose Him. But they could choose to not choose God. That would be to choose to die, and they would spiritually die, and many of them would die physically, because God's special favor would be lifted from them, and they would be exposed for the weak humans they really were without God's help.
So I've let that sift around inside me for a couple of days, and this morning I had one of those "God speaking to me" kind of experiences. What I'm about to tell you--it's absolutely true. But I can't prove it, since I'm the only one who experienced it. So you'll have to choose whether you want to believe it or not.
I dreamed that I was getting ready to do some sodbusting in my backyard, creating some more garden. But then I noticed that there were some wild onions growing among the grass. Now, where I grew up in the south, wild onions came up everywhere, the bane of homeowners trying to keep attractive yards. But when I saw it, I thought how cool it would be if I just let the onions grow up. Who knew--maybe you could even eat them. I'd have to find out. And even if you couldn't, I would still have something nostalgic to remind me of when I was growing up. So I was getting ready to choose not to cultivate a productive garden. I was going to let these weeds grow here, just to remind me of the "old country."
Then I woke up, one minute before the radio alarm was set to go. And I must not have been quite awake, because I remember thinking, "Oh, they're going to play, 'Choose Life (a Christian song based on that passage in Deuteronomy.)'" In my twilight dream state, it didn't seem strange that I would know what was going to come on. Then the music started, and it was "Choose Life." How weird is that?
I don't know what choices or decisions are coming my way, but I'm kind of excited and kind of scared.
I know this was God speaking to me about something, but I wanted to pass it on, just in case anyone else needs a reminder.
"I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love GOD, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that GOD, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20, The Message)
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4 comments:
A Goat, no kidding? wow, you don't see that everyday. I wonder where she came from?
Do you think its odd that many of us are going through a "choose life" point in time? I have this feeling like I'm coasting along, waiting for something good or bad to happen, ya know? What a choice you have, wild onions or a cultivated garden. I guess it depends on how much you like onions? LOL Thank you for sharing that dream, its giving me something to contemplate.
How are the tomatoes? Mine are getting huge, but are remaining green. I don't mind I'm much to busy right now to deal with them. Although they have gotten so tall and the fruit is so heavy, they have pulled the plants, cages and coffee cans over. Most of them are leaning on each other, but a few of them are down. :( I think I planted too many anyway.
Well, as to the wild onions, given the fact that I just got through the stories of the Israelites wandering through the wilderness, whining for leeks and onions, I think in my case the "touchpoint" was that onions for me right now are a bad choice. I'm supposed to cultivate my walk with God right now, and guard against little wild things (appealing as they may appear) eating the tops off the new spiritual truths God gives me. Does that make any sense? So I think cultivate--not wild onions.
Imagine learning all this stuff from a 10x10 plot of real estate!!
Tomatoes are doing great. I've had a steady stream of red grape tomatoes for about a week and a half. A., you've got to grow these things next year!! They ripen before the big ones, and they're so sweet you just want to eat them off the vine.
So far, no big choices face me--just the little ones--like do I read the sci fi book, or the one that will feed me spiritually? I normally don't see anything wrong with tastefully written sci fi, but right now I'm practicing, since I seem to have gotten specific instruction for the time being. Just practicing. No big deal (I think).
BTW, I got your skit in church yesterday. Move on. Pursue passionate spirutuality. Pretty cool.
Yep, I will have to grow grape tomatoes! I'm glad people got the skit. A few people told me afterwards that they got it and that it was cute. I get so embarassed doing those things. Right now I don't have any major choices besides, whether more than 50 pints of pickles are in order. I just keep picking, I've been fortunate to be able to give too. My mom made up a huge batch of Lime pickles and said she might be coerced into making another. When the tomatoes turn watch out! will I be busy or what?
What a great story! A goat.. I wonder if he was going for the onions??? You know when the bible talks about seperating the sheep from the goats.
Anyway- on your dream. Thanks for sharing. I think a lot can be said for that place between sleep and awake. For me it's a learning place. I think I am more open to the out of the ordinary in that state.
Yes, Godseeker it makes sense. And how cool that God would use something familiar to you.
It seems we are all at a crossroads of some kind. We can see the signs telling us the road is coming. We know at some point we are going to get there and have to make a choice. We just don't know what the mile marker says. How far away is that choice? I think that's the trust part. Be open to letting God do the work in you. He knows when and where the crossroads will be.
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