Lessons Learned

I am sitting here waiting for the kids to get ready to go… it promises to be a very hot day again today (105F?), so we are off to the lake for a dip.  I used to think of “the lake” as a beautiful green spot with a tree-lined shore, and a nice big dock for sunning and diving.  Well, my header photo gives you some idea of our lake – it is HOT HOT HOT.  There is NO SHADE, not anywhere near the water, unless you are a spider.  It is rock and dirt and a few scattered weeds, maybe a snake or two, God forbid.  Did you know that some rattlesnakes swim?  I hope they think the water is too cold today… Later in the summer, the kids won’t want to go swimming when it is this “cold” out.  The evaporative effect of the desert is incredible, and makes you freezing cold when you are wet! I’ll post pics later.

 

Anyway, while I am waiting, I wanted to tell you what God taught ME in the children’s Sunday School lesson that I gave yesterday.  We were talking about Mary of Bethany, how she poured that precious ointment on the head and feet of her Saviour and filled the room with the wonderful fragrance, then wiped his feet with her hair… It hit me as I was telling the story, that Mary was close enough to Jesus to walk away smelling like him. He told the disciples that she was preparing his body for burial. That fragrance in her hair must have reminded her constantly of his death and resurrection, for this took place in the last days of his life. How often did women wash their hair in those days?  I would never want to wash my hair again, if its fragrance would remind me of my Jesus all the time!  Would a woman be likely to cut her hair if she were in mourning?  I wonder if Mary of Bethany cut her long hair off and kept it somewhere, to save that wonderful fragrance of Jesus…  I think I would have wanted to.

 

And another thing, the disciples were unhappy with Mary for “wasting” all that expensive perfume, which might have been sold, and the money given to the poor.  Did you know that nothing that God's children do for Christ is ever wasted?  I know of a young woman who desired with all her heart to play the piano. She told the Lord that if he would give her opportunity to learn, she would play ONLY God’s music.  The Lord heard her, and he taught her to play beautifully. She played only for him.  When asked to play “Happy Birthday”, she would say, “No, I’m sorry.  I promised the Lord that I would play only His music.” People said, “What a waste!  She is making a foolish sacrifice. She could play for an orchestra or accompany someone famous, and make lots of money with her talent!!”  Maybe she could, but they were wrong.  Like Mary, she committed her most treasured thing to Jesus.  That is no waste. And after what He has done for me, how can anything that I give to him be called a sacrifice??

 

Well, that’s what I learned.  I don’t know if my little kids learned anything :o)