While I have told you in the past, regarding my nickname, Wiwohka, I draw the line at my personal information being shared worldwide!
I tell my first name, along with anything meaningful that is attached to it… to my friends! If one of you that reads this, were to ask me what my real name is and how I got it… most likely, I would give you full disclosure, being considered one of my personal friends.
Beyond that, you get Wiwohka as my name! Also, Google is your friend so have a nice time looking up the definition and origin all by your onesies!
If anyone is reading this prompt answer, you should hopefully have figured out by now that I don’t answer these questions for any form of Like, Share, or Repost… in honesty, you have better things to be doing in your lives, than hanging by every word this grumpy lady says. With that being said, I will say that I am committed to answering each daily prompt with a sincere heart… no flippant, smart mouthed answer that is based off of feelings alone. My goal is to think outside the box when answering, choosing to improve my writing skills… and if I’m lucky, I might make a new friend here or there to share some life, love, and happiness with inside the Journey With Me Lobby!
I leave it to you the reader, not WordPress Prompt questions, to see the ME that I am! The daily Prompt is not my friend, but those of you that visit ARE… if you ask it, I would tell you…
I confess that in the past, as I read through the story of Moses and the Israelites, I’d not ever really considered the logistics of moving such a large group of humans. Maybe it’s wisdom, grown from my years of existence, that enables me to now ponder these things… or it could be that I live a life of hardship that brings such things to light. We still have no water, in case you’re at all wondering, as to my current state of mind.
While I was reading through chapter after chapter of the instructions God gave Moses, for the building of the Tabernacle and the Tent of Meeting, it hit me… wait a minute, are you saying that they had to build this and then carry it around the desert for 40 years? This girls says… RESPECT!!! I’m crying about my lack of running water… boo hoo!
I think Mt. Sanai was like a sort of staging area, preparing the people for the journey that lie ahead. Had God simply drug these people through the desert, many would have either wandered off, or worse, perished! Once a head count of all the men over 20 years of age was taken, the bible says, in Exodus 38:26, there were 603,550 Israelites males, plus their wives and children. Now add in all of their livestock and personal belongings.
If you know anything about camping or traveling, you know that there is an enormous difference between traveling with a blanket and snack bag… and camping with your family, ice chests, tents, firewood, clothes, blankets, bedding, coffee, first-aid kits, fishing poles, bait box, Capri Suns, Smores ingredients, roasting sticks, drinking water, bathing water, wet wipes… etc. You get the picture!
In the past readings of Exodus, I will admit that I perused all these chapters, as there were a lot of measurements being issued… and I hate math! This time, however, I read through this section multiple times, just to grasp the enormity of the task that lay before the Israelites… to build a fully mobile Temple of God! I think the Israelite people constructed and built the Tabernacle from all that material the Egyptians gave them, as they departed. There was so much material available, brought forward by the people, Moses had to instruct them to please give NO MORE!
My mind was blown at the thought of how much stuff everyone was bringing along with them. Once I got over the initial mind blownery, I began to search within the verses for an accurate timeline of things getting done, or progressing, if you will. I began to understand, logically, why it took 40 years to get a million plus humans, to travel what would take most small families, just shy of two weeks to accomplish. No amount of wet wipes would be helping to speed this trip up!
I know we all have either heard of, or have seen the movie Mortal Engines. In the movie, they made it seem so easy to just live a normal life, inside a larger machine that moves all your stuff from one location to the other… they didn’t even have to pack the house up when the city decided to move.
The Israelites didn’t have any engines, nor was it so easy to live or travel with each other for 40 years. Healers would be found somewhere inside the masses, if you or a family member was ill, but I’m not sure who traveled to who, to receive medical care. The people had to carry ALL of their cooking supplies, along with the food for their livestock. If a woman went into labor, she had to do it on the road. If your family member passed away, you either wrapped and carried the body, or had to bury them somewhere along the way. There were no grocery stores or gas stations to let the kids out to stretch their legs… nope… just an attitude of suck it up, pack it up, and let’s do this!
For the first time, in my studying of this part of the bible, I find myself pondering the perspective of more than just Moses. It’s always easier to point out insights from a place of comfort. Maybe the discomfort of my personal circumstances is working for me here… in a ridiculously modern viewpoint, I can somewhat feel their pain, regarding how things went down there! I’m a firm believer in God using everything in our lives to better us, as His children! You’ve heard me say it before, regarding the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly… God did, does and will use it for our good… all of it! I can say this because I’m living it! I’m fairly confident that some of you reading this, also are living it!
My take away from this bit… God had the people build and bring the Tabernacle with them, because He traveled with the people… he led them, every single day of those 40 years. We now live in the New Testament of times, where God is doing the same thing for us, but it is internal, rather than external. There is a great amount of restructuring that has to go on in the heart of a believer, as they choose to follow God. Some changes occur early on in our walk, while others may take 40 years to get there… before Christ lived and died for us, we had to follow the Tabernacle to stay near God. The road was paved by our creator so that the Tabernacle now lies within our being… it’s right there!
I’m nothing more than a child of God, just like you are, sharing my thoughts with you like a brother or sister… I’m not a teacher, nor a theologian. I mentioned once before that I think of all of you as my Study Buddies. We look together into Biblical History Records, for lack of a better description, trying to find a better understanding of who we are in Christ. I can only share with you from my own circumstances and perspective, while you read from within your own situations in life. I love that diversity, as it keeps me from thinking I’ve got it all figured out… because I don’t!
I’m trying to keep a Godly attitude, while I flush my toilet with a bottle of water, wear the same pair of pajamas for over a week, and eat out of the microwave off of a paper plate with my fingers, as there is no clean anything in here… including silverware! My perspective and attitude can rapidly devolve into fight or flight mode, so staying in the word right now is of the utmost importance! The upside to things is the knowledge that we’ve been here before… and I didn’t die… so God’s Got This! If He faithfully carried a massive group of peoples through the desert for 40 years, why would I think He would let our RV’s lack of water supply end things now!
Generations have passed between the time of the Israelites and current civilization, but the heart of mankind is still the same today as it was back then… human! That is something I think we can all relate to, don’t you ?
While I cannot say what age I was, when I first watched the movie “Doctor Dolittle”, I know that I knew all the way back then that I wanted to be like him!
I wanted to be able to talk to animals, as well as helping them in any way I could. This movie fueled my dreams and imagination with adventures that took me to places unreachable to most. Though the actors were only pretending, and most of the scenes were fantastical, the underlying lessons I took from this movie have stuck with me to this day!
Learning to understand any and all of Gods creatures, was a big part of the Doctors efforts in helping them… how else could he figure out what was wrong and then come up with a solution? He wasn’t magic… in fact, most of the important animals he helped, were helped by the doctor simply stealing them and releasing them into the wild! In my opinion, the whole point of Doctor Dolittle, was that he took the time to listen and learn from nature, and the animals themselves. I remember thinking that the biggest problems for the animals, usually came in the form of ignorant human interference… a world only thinking of their own interests.
All these years later, I’m finding it hard to change my answer here, leaving me to wish for more Doctor Dolittle type attitudes, here in todays current environmental and wildlife issues. Don’t get me wrong, as there are many very valuable organizations out there, dedicating everything to striking a balance between man and nature.
If I could have a dream job, I would desire to be just like Mr. Dolittle, helping to make a difference in the animal kingdom. God placed the animals under our care, sometimes to intercede on their behalf… and sometimes to just remove ourselves, as often times, we are the very cause of natures problem!
Don’t get your panties in a bunch, as they say, because this is just the literary pondering of a whimsical child in the body of a grown woman. It always looks easier on paper…
Have you ever looked at your life and/or circumstance, feeling like nothing more than a construction worker? Maybe you feel as if you’re always looking for that misplaced impact driver that you realize you’ve forgotten somewhere on the worksite. While I don’t know about you guys for sure, I know that I am feeling it right now!
Current circumstances have left me feeling as if I’m in a major work zone right now, for lack of a better description! As the picture above should convey, it’s a pretty big site… and I’ve somehow got to find several of the midlevel floor blueprints that are nowhere to be found, right now! Fortunately, I am not the foreman, nor do I own the building being erected… rather, I am the onsite Administrative Assistant.
My primary job is to assist in the organization and implementation of the build, not being expected to do any of the heavy lifting… though sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. Sometimes, I feel as if I have been working all by myself on a holiday weekend, with everyone else gone home to be with their families. I didn’t say they did, I simply said that at times it feels that way!
What does any of this have to do with my Saturday Note to Self blurb? Everything! Times like the ones I’m walking through right now, are exactly the times when I need something positive and hopeful to hang onto! When I first collected all of the chosen quotes and/or verses, I did not know why… many times we must walk by faith without knowing any of the WHY’s.
Thankfully, I assist the most qualified Foreman, working for a pretty amazing Property Owner! He gives me the blueprints and I simply follow along… even if I don’t have a full understanding of the build going on, in and around the job site.
All I am able to say for today’s Note To Self #22, is that I needed it more than words can express!
“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'” Jeremiah 29:11
Plans have already been laid out for my journey…
My Foreman only allows the demolition or restructuring of that which will build with a lasting and solid foundation…
In terms of how I’m feeling and where my thoughts are today, the only real words that come to mind are things like weary… or tired!
Christians tend to stay away from talking about how they really feel, as there is a great amount of pressure to “REPRESENT!” If we open our mouths to speak of Gods love, we are placed into a special category… one where we aren’t allowed to feel REAL hurt or struggle! We are Christians, are we not, so we forfeit the right to be human… if we display any sign of weakness, we must be frauds or our God is not real! Maybe it’s the world that makes us feel this way, or perhaps just our own fears manifesting… maybe both!
The bible is pretty clear on the truth of what we are called to do, which is simply believe on Him and profess our belief to others, in order to share the gift we, ourselves, have been given.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9,10
Not only did God make it very clear what we should do, as his children, but Jesus also gave full disclosure that,
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
When circumstances get so overwhelming that I feel the weight of things bearing down on my spirit so heavily, sometimes all I can manage is, “I’m tired… so so tired!”
Often times I feel that with each step of obedience to God, the pressure of circumstances seem to grow exponentially! If I sat here and blurted out the laundry list of what I’m facing every day, there would be a number of you who might be appalled, while others might say, “Meh! I’ve been through worse” and out will come the game of let’s compare scars! Not only is this not healthy for anyone in the conversation, it’s irrelevant!
Where does that leave me, as a woman of faith? I do not wish for my circumstances to define me, but instead, I choose to accept my circumstances as they are, allowing God’s grace and mercy to define who I am…
I am a woman in human form!
I was designed in the image of God!
I am flawed, and in need of God in every fiber of this being!
I chose to walk this path that is narrow … my choice!
My God is with me in every moment, of every day, through the Joy and the Pain! I am not alone!
I am also reminded that I have been given all that I need to survive things. The bible actually gives us, as Christians, a how-to list of sorts, found in the book of Ephesians…
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18
My favorite part is in verse 13, where it says that after you have done everything you can, just stand! I feel like God is telling me that after I have done what I’m able, and I am feeling weary, it’s ok to feel tired… as long as I am doing my resting from beneath His shadow!
So… today I’m feeling weary or spiritually tired, if you will, and it’s alright! Just because I feel weary doesn’t mean anything about who I am has changed! I am still the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus! I am still the child that He chose and set apart! AND… I will stand, after I’ve done all He’s asked, I will stand… after I dwell in His word, I will stand… as I pray without ceasing, I will stand… as I lean not on my own understanding, I will stand… even when I am weary and very very tired, He holds me in the palm of His hand and carries me… so that I can STAND!
The entire problem with un-inventing something is, unless the heart of a man chooses good over evil, we will simply un-invent one thing, only to re-invent another with the same purpose…
Try changing the mind of an emotional child… you will soon be reminded that until they feel better inside, no mind will be changing anytime soon!
Puppy breath! It’s intoxicating to my senses! I can’t tell you why, because it makes no sense that the breath of dog can reduce me to something akin to Tickle Me Elmo… seriously!
I’ve never experienced this feeling after my toddlers spit up sour milk down my shirt, or my partner ushered forth a burp that shook the rafters.
I have no logical explanation to explain my behavior that always follows those sloppy wet kisses… I just know that the smell of a puppy’s breath transports my emotions to a place that nothing else really compares. While I might joke about the bottling and selling of puppy breath, somehow, I don’t think it would elicit the reaction and response that I experience, unless the puppy were included… and that is too expensive to successfully sell. Plus when the puppies chewed your favorite slippers or pooped on your pillow, I do not do returns or refunds… sorry!
Journey With Me! 