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Family Matters:  Bible Study #1- Women of the Bible  |
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buffypuff
True Blue Farmgirl
1183 Posts
Claudia
Deer Park
WA
USA
1183 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 05 2010 : 2:33:00 PM
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Thanks Cari for your comments. As you spoke of hardships, I thought of those that Naomi, Ruth & Orpah had endured by losing the men that they loved, & wondered about how they got food and all the necessities before and during their move. Three, down to 2 widows, trusting God for their needs. My thought then quickly shifted to our own catastrophies now, from the oil spill in the Gulf killing birds, fish, industries & families' livelihoods, hurricaines, Wallstreet etc. Of course, I am far removed currently from these hardships, but what I hear are people raling against the government, the Oil company etc. Yes they have failed in part, but I wonder how many people are turning toward God in their hour of need, & letting Him provide. That to me is where the rubber meets the road. One pastor told me re: hardships that...the same sun that hardens clay melts better. It's a matter of the heart. God was faithful for Ruth & Naomi by knowing that He would provide for their needs through Boaz. Do we pray that God will provide for our needs? Are we willing to know that God has us? I can know it in my head...but what about my heart?
Buffypuff/ Claudia
Farmgirl & Sister #870
"Half of success is the assurance of support along the way." cr
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prayin granny
True Blue Farmgirl
1874 Posts
Linda
Kansas
1874 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 07:16:15 AM
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Ladies, I just love all the points you have been making!! As a working single mom of 4 while my kids were growing up, I had to lean on the Lord more than ever before!! I could write a book on the times He met my needs, both emotional and at times, financially to pretty much the penny needed! It was amazing!! And although I enjoy the tech of today, hence, this forum! Lol! I think sometimes we forget to stay quiet and just learn to trust and call on Him! You have all brought up points and questions that certainly have me thinking! Thank you, Linda
Country at Heart |
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julia hayes
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
julia
medical lake
wa
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 10:31:38 AM
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Rae, thank you for checking in on me via email making sure I was ok! In case some of you didn’t know I was on a Make-A-Wish trip for my daughter Aria. We just got back. I won’t go into it now but check in over at Family Matters in the next few days for the full story and some pictures. I write everything about Aria over there.
Rae, I can get pretty self-conscious about my dissertations on these Biblical stories so thank you again for checking in. Makes me feel warm all over!
Ruth—according to Julia (giggling and eye rolling!) Hold on..another absurdly LONG one!
I suppose the obvious ought to be stated, which is that her story is sweet but SHORT! You would think that a woman of her fame would garner a longer tale, wouldn’t you? To consider for a moment that here we have yet another ancient story preserved in an oral tradition for centuries and centuries, I get the sense that she got the short end of the stick. Rather than embellish and add to her tale over the years, my hunch is it got hacked! This really rubs the feminist in me the wrong way.
Alas, there isn’t much to be done about it, other than to observe it and take note and so I have.
The first chapter is amazing from an anthropological point of view and from a historical Hebrew one as well. Clearly we have a God who is responsible for all of life’s events. Israel is still held hostage by their defiance of God and so He continues to punish them. Naomi and her mate move to ‘the land of Moab.’ We don’t know where exactly. That is, just over the border or farther inland? This might not seem important but it could be. It’s sort of like thinking of someone arriving from England and stopping in Boston versus traveling on to Oklahoma. That is an enormous difference of culture, language/accent, custom and so forth. We don’t know the specifics for Naomi. Regardless, I’m assuming it is of some distance and it is foreign; i.e., different language, different culture, different money system, different rituals, different worship, different family ties, different education, different landscape, different God(s).
This makes me think of the great potato famine in Ireland. So many people leaving everything they ever knew, climbing aboard God only knows what kind of vessel and sailing to the Promise of the American shores. The courage and desperation that made these people do that. The hardship they must have endured. The drive to survive that dictated their every move. I never cease to be amazed at what people will do in search of a something better….anything better. I find it incredibly humbling.
So Naomi and her mate go. They set up a life. They acclimate to this new culture. They raise a family and he dies. Not too uncommon. The boys marry local girls—also not surprising but then they up and die. Here’s where it gets super fascinating and not because of Ruth’s loyalty or whatever it is we think drove her to stay with Naomi. No, what intrigues me is the fact that 3 women are on their own and life/future must have seen completely grim to them—hopeless even.
These 2 women became a part of Naomi’s tribe through marriage, thus leaving their own families. I wonder what that did to those relations? Were Ruth’s parents peeved that she would marry someone of ‘foreign’ blood—someone of a different religion—someone with the curse of Israel coursing through their veins? Who knows but it makes me wonder… Heck it has only been in my generation that couples of different religious backgrounds could marry without getting a whole heap of flap and I’m sure there are still some parts of this great nation where that’s still true. In my parents’ day and age of marriage (the 50’s) one would never dream of marrying someone from a different religion, let alone race! I can’t help but think this was a major something or other.
Still, Naomi knows that she has no future. She goes back to her people hoping she can find care/mercy from relatives.
I can’t help but wonder as they begin their journey if she begins to realize that she is placing her daughters-in-law in great danger and continued hopelessness. Maybe she is sensing that if she brings these ‘foreign’ girls (because let’s face it, that’s what they more than likely were—girls still probably in their teens) to her homeland they could be, I don’t know, sold into slavery, raped, killed, held captive, etc..etc.. My guess is that Naomi started thinking that they would not find husbands being foreign and it would be better for them to stay with their parents.
Ruth refuses. Wow! What on earth made her do this?! Loyalty to Naomi? Sure would make the story sweet and nice if that’s the only way we think about it. Truth is, we don’t know. We can assume her parents are still alive but we have no idea what their relationship was like. Maybe Ruth likes Naomi a whole lot better than her own mother. Maybe it’s a pride thing on Ruth’s part and she doesn’t want to face her dad giving her a hard time about choosing a cursed husband. Maybe Ruth has an adventurous spirit and can’t wait to get out of Dodge! Maybe she’s thinking, “I’ve had it with this Moab grub! Time to try something new!” Who knows but I’m having a ball thinking about it.
So she goes with Naomi. I’m picturing Naomi in her late 20’s early 30’s while Ruth is probably 14 or 15. Just remember that a little more than 100 years ago the average life expectancy for men was roughly 47!
I groaned when I read the end of the first chapter. Naomi enters Bethlehem and all her old girlfriends are hanging out wondering who the newcomers are, gossiping,” Is that Naomi? No! It can’t be…” Can’t you just hear it? “Naomi? Is that you girl? What happened? Whose that with you?” Then Naomi does something that just irritates the heck out of me. She responds with the classic, “Oh woe is me! Don’t call me that anymore. Naomi means pleasant but God has turned his back on me. God is punishing me so call me Mara, which means bitter, which is what my life is thanks to God.”
Ugh! This is the kind of stuff that really rankles me. This attitude exists to this day and it makes me incredibly sad. We blame ourselves and feel bad about ourselves when things go wrong thinking that it must be Divine punishment for the fact that we fall short of the glory and conversely we praise God when things go well, uncomfortable giving ourselves any credit feeling we must be humble and owe all the bounty to Him. On a thin fundamental level there’s no real harm here except that the thin fundamental level doesn’t exist.
This attitude befuddles the spirit constantly and it makes God fickle and unpredictable in our attempt to understand what cannot be understood. We hear to this day cries that some peoples’ prayers are answered while others are not. We are left to ponder if we are wretched souls for being ignored. Likewise we can all name at least one person who we’d like tarred and feathered and yet they seem to bask in God’s reward. How is this possible?
Naomi is having a sweet pity party for herself but I love that Ruth will have none of it.
Moving on to Chapter 2 Naomi/Mara and Ruth are in luck because it is barley season. At this point wouldn’t it have been awesome if the storytellers included some recipes or something? They had to have known some good ones. What the heck were they making with barley? Seriously, how did they make barley breads or wines?
So Ruth decides that they need sustenance and she needs to meet some people. I get the idea that she is in full-court press mode to prove herself. My hunch is that she knows she is suspect and must show that she is decent. I have no idea how farm work worked back then but what an amazing scene to imagine; here’s this young girl who is new to this land-culture-probably language and she goes into an unknown field to pick up scraps. Amazing. She is picking up kernels after the main pickers have finished. I can’t tell if this is complete desperation, total humility or both. Wow!
Then the hero of the story arrives. Old Boaz, who is probably pushing mid 30’s. He spots this young foreign beauty and is mesmerized. What a totally open-minded soul he is. You can imagine for a moment how this could have turned really sour had he been guided by intolerance and prejudice. There’s a foreign girl in his fields picking up grains and he wants her out of there, asap! But that’s not what happened. Instead one of the first things he does is warns the young men not to harass her. This part gave me the chills. It made me think just how courageous Ruth must have been to go into the fields and face these foreign hormone riddled male yahoos, knowing they might give her a really hard time—as in scary wicked awful horrific hard time. Boaz says, “No Way! Stay away from that girl!” He treats her well. He’s curious about her. I appreciate this about him a great deal.
Here’s where it gets weird for me. So Naomi (the story has not adopted her Mara-bitter –God-must-be-bummed-with-me-name, by the way. She remains Naomi) decides Ruth needs to marry again. I’m thinking she sees Boaz’s interest and wants to seal the deal. No harm there. But heaven help me what’s with the bathing, perfuming, dressing, going to his work place, sneaking around after dark and bed-time and laying at his feet thing? That whole scene was just plain “eeeew”.
Poor Boaz. He wakes up and freaks out for a second but then he must be over the moon thinking Ruth will have him—the ol’ geezer. What follows is so sweet in terms of a classic love story. I’m not sure how much love is going on there but certainly some serious security, future and pride.
Were any of you as intrigued as I was with the whole market scene and the witnesses when Boaz allows the other relative to buy Naomi’s husband’s land so long as he marries Ruth? Before that part is revealed and all that other guy knows about is the land, I can almost see the dollar signs (or whatever currency was used at the time) in his eyes. Then Boom, “the catch is, you gotta marry this foreign girl.” You can almost see him choke and spit out his barley water! “Uh, I gotta marry her? I gotta claim her son as my own? Uh, errr, sputter-sputter, well that means he’d inherit MY lands too!” He’s sweating in his prejudiced slimey attitude while Boaz is sitting back smiling knowing he has won his beautiful foreign prize. He loves her.
The story ends in the classic OT kind of way that is right up there with Disney’s ‘And they all lived happily ever after.’ Here, God gave them just what they wanted because He is so pleased with them. Naomi is happy again and why wouldn’t she be. Life is going well.
Moral of the story; Loyalty, commitment, Faith in God, Willingness to do His will? Yep, that’s pretty much the classic catechism but that’s not where I go.
The take home message for me includes;
Acceptance; looking at people as people foreign or not. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a burden and as people it is our duty to accept one another not just intellectually but in all that we say and do. It would be so easy to think that there is one people under God and many believe this to be true to this day. The OT is riddled with this ideology, which is why Jesus’ parables were so profound and challenging to the masses of his time. As a Jew and therefore follower of the OT he offered a totally different and new take on God. By far his most famous story in this regard is the Good Samaritan. Naomi embraced Moab culture to her core, enough to bring in girls to her own family and call them her own. Boaz, too, wasn’t remotely uncomfortable mixing ‘blood’ with someone ‘other’ than his own people. Over the course of time, they produced generations that would lead to Greatness. We are all capable of this if we simply learn to open our eyes, hearts and minds.
Contemplating God’s Will: This one takes considerable thought because all too often it gets oversimplified. That is, when things go wrong, I must be at fault and God, like a ‘good’ dad, is punishing me. I’ve always loathed that perspective. Trust me, I understand it but it doesn’t resonate. Likewise, when things are going ‘my way’ or as I’ve prayed or surprisingly well, I can thank God and know that I am once again in his favor. I am doing His will and he is pleased. This is the basic gist of many of these OT stories. Nope, this does nothing for me either.
Suppose doing God’s will is nothing more than simply being just as we are. We talk an awful lot about being closer to God. What if there is no such thing? What if there is no being closer or farther from God because God is ever-present..always present..always in the same place within the silence of our hearts? What if feeling closer to God is nothing more than coming closer to ourselves? What if not doing the right thing (some call this sin) takes us away from ourselves and thus we view it as feeling far from God? What if doing the right thing and resonating with God is simply nothing more than resonating with the Kingdom of Heaven within and around us as Jesus suggested? What if God is inherently infinitely divinely present and therefore can’t be bothered to judge the human experience leaving that entirely up to us?
You see good and evil are simply two different sides to the same coin. Life is filled with good and bad all the while God remains unchanging and present. What if, because Jesus taught that God is Love (not wrath) that we can take that idea and have every single thought and action come from that place? What would happen?
I don’t have any answers,. These are simply questions I ask.
So, Ruth…the take home message for me is an age old one. Accept that people are people reflecting the infinite image of God. When we see that we can go further if we have the courage to Love. ~julia
being simple to simply be
Farmgirl #30
www.julia42.etsy.com
www.about-aria.blogspot.com |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 2:13:43 PM
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Your last question - what would happen? The New Testament. Salvation, grace, and loving one another more than ourselves....(the second greatest commandment). Julia, your posts are amazing. Let yourself believe.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Jun 08 2010 2:01:26 PM |
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buffypuff
True Blue Farmgirl
1183 Posts
Claudia
Deer Park
WA
USA
1183 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 2:17:34 PM
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Julia, I will not try to give you pat answers or try to dissuade you from your conclusions. You have given Ruth and Naomi alot of thought. Your thoughts are provoking and profound. As you say, not many words are given to the whys & how-comes in their life stories, but several things can be surmised. First, they lived around or before 1100 BC. Culture did not put much value on the life of a woman. We still struggle with some of that with the "glass ceiling." It was important for a woman to seek her care/wellbeing from a family member if possible. Hence, many of their reactions were based on that custom. You are right that the Moabites were different, but even they had their beginnings with God as their god. Moab was Lot's son. Lot was Abraham's nephew. Many changes occur through the years. Now....we have, as we read these stories, the perfect advantage of hindsight, and many years of education that forms our current thought, built on the shoulders of men & women who advanced the position of dignity for all. It is an over simplification to believe that as peoples prayers are answered, it is because they have done God's will or not answered because they were out of the will of God. God listens I believe, to every child's prayers....but he knows the whole picture. He also looks at outcomes I think...what is good for one of our children, is not always the best for another, but his mercy extends to all. Scripture says it rains on the good & the bad. I believe the story is about 2 women who struggled with their grief. Naomi, in a time of weakness let out her sorrow to be called Mara. Ruth may have had those times herself. Scripture does not say because it is objective in its telling...not subjective.
I know this is a modge-podge, but I hope to have put down some of my random thoughts. I know you live close to a college town. You really should consider being a professor of Logic.
Buffypuff/ Claudia
Farmgirl & Sister #870
"Half of success is the assurance of support along the way." cr
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amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 3:31:28 PM
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Hey can I jump in, reading? and discussion?
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
#1038 |
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julia hayes
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
julia
medical lake
wa
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 4:37:56 PM
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Angie-amomfly! What are you waiting for?? Jump on in... Heck I'm the resident non-believer and this place is so fun for even the likes of someone like me!!!
Jeannie, you are so sweet to say...tell me, what is it I'm not letting myself believe? Just asking for specifics...who knows maybe I'm in the closet and I'm a believer afterall!!! You tell me
Claudia your posts have been WONDERFUL to read. You are insightful and gifted. I must tell you that I'm going to have to have stamped in silver or something the recommendation that I be a professor of Logic. My mom will want to wear it to her grave to remind herself to roll over laughing! I have to tell her. She will hoot and holler. I can hear it now, "Julia, someone thinks YOU should teach logic? Be a professor no less? Has hell frozen over? Have pigs started flying? What's the deal!" Trust me, she will not be mean, my mom doesn't have a mean bone in her body, she will simply be in disbelief. I haven't ever been the sharpest tool in the shed if you know what I mean. I've been the late bloomer, if you will..the black sheep, the one to dance to my own tune and all those other odd ball cliches!!! So LOGIC is not something one would ever consider pairing with me! Makes me smile head to toe that you said it!
One point I'll have to consider that your wrote is that "Scripture does not say because it is objective in its telling...not subjective." I'm not sure about that. I think this is where fact and faith get entangled and can cause a great deal of angst. However, I need to give it more thought. I like very much that you said it.
So, I have to ask, anyone else curious about what they did with all that barley???
~julia
being simple to simply be
Farmgirl #30
www.julia42.etsy.com
www.about-aria.blogspot.com |
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buffypuff
True Blue Farmgirl
1183 Posts
Claudia
Deer Park
WA
USA
1183 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 6:02:58 PM
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Julia...thanks for the compliments, however, they may be a little misplaced. Objective vs. subjective. "Just the facts Ma'am," The bare bones of the story... subjective...what you "feel " about your situation. As a retired nurse, we used to SOAP our patients...Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan! Subjective- to the patient.."how do you feel, why are you here?" Objective= vital signs, lab, heart, lungs (just the facts), Assessment - putting both together. Ruth's story tells the facts...who she and her family were...what she did to get food, Boaz' response. Maybe what we glean from it in our assessment, is the crossroads of faith or disbelief. Sometimes, you and I have come up with different assessments of the story...our plans may be different. AND, we may never know who is right until we meet our Maker...or in nursing whether the patient is better and cured or...not!
Buffypuff/ Claudia
Farmgirl & Sister #870
"Half of success is the assurance of support along the way." cr
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Rae
MN
1509 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 07:02:25 AM
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I think that is what the Bible is about. Telling us facts that we may use for our own life. All answers are in the Bible, just a matter of finding them and having your heart open to what God is telling you.
Rae
Farm Girl #647
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 2:16:13 PM
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Julia - forgive me for being blunt. Believe that Jesus is our Savior. With him, the Old Testament was given over to the New, the good news, and we were blessed with the forgiveness of our sins, unconditional love and grace. All the things we crave as humans. But we have to believe it is true.
I love this forum and the exchanges we have here. The last thing I want to do is make any type of friction exist. But you are an expert at open and honest conversation, and thank you for that!!!!
Learning about the Word is an academic, yet endlessly fortifying experience. Accepting and Living the Word is a childlike experience. It calls for believing without question, having the faith of things unseen. Did you automatically trust your parents to keep you safe? Do your children do that to you? That is our earthly example of what it is to be a child of God.
Oh, how I wish I were better at expressing what I feel. My path has been long and full of questions. I finally realized that it was my choice, pure and simple. Do I believe in Jesus and his gift to us or do I not? I made the choice to believe. Even with my lack of faith, my weaknesses, and my faults, I chose to believe. I choose again all the time. Now, if I did not choose Him, I would be adrift in a sea of loss and emptiness.
Cannot believe I am being this honest about my feelings! I am always so afraid to offend.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Jun 07 2010 2:28:01 PM |
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classygram
True Blue Farmgirl
1812 Posts
Brenda
Pleasant Hill
Mo.
USA
1812 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 2:51:00 PM
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Shirley that was said so beautifully. I have gone around and around with myself trying to figure how to say it. You Did! You either believe or you don't, no questions asked. It's each persons place to make the choice. Thank you for making it so clear to understand.
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matter compared to what lies within us."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Seek reasons to Love..In every sigment of everyday-look for something that brings forth within you a feeling of Love-Abraham Hicks |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Rae
MN
1509 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 4:24:40 PM
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Speak from your heart, that is what this is about.
Rae
Farm Girl #647
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31
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Singing Tree Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Cari
Chase
Michigan
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 5:46:13 PM
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Some cultural background issues that seem strange to us..
Regarding the intermarriage with Moabites. Moab was born from Lot having sexual relations with his daughter. Marriage was allowed, but children born could not be admitted to the congregation to the tenth generation.
Farmers were required by law not to reap the corners of their field or gather gleanings, but to leave it for the poor and stranger.
There was an obligation of relatives who were able to "redeeem" another relative from slave status or recoup property once owned but lost to debt. The "Kinsman-redeemer". Ruth's request for him to take her under his wing 3:9 was part of the culture to show intent to marry, nothing inappropriate.
My two bits.
Julia, I agree that doing God's will is being who we are, but who are we? Eph 1 says we are loved, accepted and forgiven. Adam was created to enjoy God and be enjoyed by God. A relationship and communion. Sin seperates us from that. Is 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." He does tell us exactly what His will is. The greates commandment is to love Him with all our heart, soul and strength-all we are. Because He has loved us with all that He is. His discipline comes when we reject His perfect love.
I agree that God is a God of love. But He is also a God of wrath. Psalm 2:5, 89:46, 95:11, 110:5 Isaiah 60:10, Habakkuk 3:2, John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Hebrews 3:11, Revelation 15:1, 16:19 are examples. It is not His desire, but He does give us the free will to choose.
Jeannie, I think you "mistyped"[:) Mark 12:30-31 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."
Loving others is the second commandment and it's as we love ourself not more than. It may sound kind of self focused, but I believe it is in order. First we have to love God, as we truly love Him then we can begin to see ourselves as He sees us-not thinking too highly or too low-we can see how much we really do need His mercy and grace, and how much He has poured it out on us. And then we can love others because we know God loves them as much as He does us, they need and He wants to give them His mercy and grace also. I know I have much more love for others as I know God's heart and see my own more clearly. It gives me more patience, too, as I see the patience God has with me.
All of creation sings Your praise! |
Edited by - Singing Tree Farm on Jun 07 2010 6:23:06 PM |
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buffypuff
True Blue Farmgirl
1183 Posts
Claudia
Deer Park
WA
USA
1183 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 6:14:46 PM
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Jeannie, thanks for being so vulnerable. It is taking a chance to state what is truly in your heart. Cari, you give me some more meat to bite on. I am amazed how much discussion has arisen from Ruth and Naomi's story. I never thought of the 2 great commandments, and your comments about #2. This is amazing! Rae, I believe it was you who started this group. Little did I realize how informative and challenging it would be. A hearty thank you to all!!!!
Buffypuff/ Claudia
Farmgirl & Sister #870
"Half of success is the assurance of support along the way." cr
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Singing Tree Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Cari
Chase
Michigan
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 6:28:58 PM
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Claudia, I agree, this is really nice. To be able to 'glean' from others, and to cause myself to meditate.
All of creation sings Your praise! |
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kittykill
True Blue Farmgirl
608 Posts
Pam
Portland
or
USA
608 Posts |
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julia hayes
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
julia
medical lake
wa
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 8:04:02 PM
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Jeannie, jpbluesky, for a few years now I have had the great privilege of getting to know you. Seeing your name "jpbluesky" has always brought me great comfort. I think I told you a long time ago but every time I see it, I feel like I'm coming home..it is safe, warm, inviting and incredibly reassuring.
I am SO sorry you are worried about offending someone...I can not imagine how you could ever offend me. I feel the need to address this specifically. I trust you. You are mindful enough to be honest and considerate. I am confident enough to take care and I hope mindful enough to be considerate too. Please don't give it a second thought. Blunt is so wonderful. Frank is great too. I simply cannot be bothered with side-stepping truth even when it hurts. Sometimes truth is truth..I have absolutely no problem with that whatsoever.
So, dear Jeannie, you'll have to work MUCH harder to offend the likes of me!
As for the rest....let me take it all in..
Singing Tree Farm..oh how this name makes me sway with a smile. I was hoping you'd write soon. You and Claudia have such lovely insight. Let me offer you an image of what your words have done for me.
Imagine being outside on a perfect evening. The temperature is just right. The sky is brilliant for no particular reason. The air is still and for some reason the birds are nested early. Silence is everywhere. There is a slight crackle of a fire that is underneath a cast iron bathtub filled with warm water. The heat dissipates perfectly so I don't scorch my you-know-what's when I get in. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
Beside me is a small wooden folding table. I have a glass of wine on it and a towel that isn't white. It is just me and nature. Suddenly but soothingly the water turns to words.
Singing Tree Farm you have a great knowledge of scripture considering all the quotes you sighted. I have never had this skill and yet these sentences float all around me despite the fact that I have no idea what they say. I'd like to think that I'll look them up but for the moment, I'm way too relaxed to be bothered to. I love that they are around me though. Jeannie, Claudia, Rae, Classygram, your words of encouragement, faith, praise, joy and love enable me to sink until my shoulders are covered. You words are gentle, warm and relaxing. I thank you for this baptism of friendship.
I am just as I am as I get out of the tub. Words puddle around me and are absorbed into a sacred earth. It is all good. It is all God. It has always been so. ~julia
being simple to simply be
Farmgirl #30
www.julia42.etsy.com
www.about-aria.blogspot.com |
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knittinchick
True Blue Farmgirl
1854 Posts
Megan
Wisconsin
1854 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 8:20:43 PM
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Claudia, sorry that I didn't respond to your earlier post sooner! I like your perspective. Would I be willing to give up bad things just because God wants me to? Sort of like, am I willing to stop eating candy because the doctor wants me to? Julia, thanks again for your fabulous perspective! I don't think that God ever punishes us. I think that God knows what is best for us, and what's best for us happens.
God's Blessings,
Megan aka Loretta Rae
At heart, I am both a sassy city girl and a down-home country gal. |
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staci860
True Blue Farmgirl
838 Posts
Staci
Newville
PA
USA
838 Posts |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 05:15:24 AM
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Shirley Jean, thank you for being so open and honest about your feelings. Thank you for trusting us with yourself.
Your sweet and humble spirit shines through.
Blessings, staci FG# 973
:o )
Joshua 24:15 - ...choose this day whom you will serve,...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 12:52:03 PM
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Love this place! Thanks everyone, and I so look forward each day to reading what all of you have to say....So many intelligent women, and good thoughts here.
Julia, I admire your way with words and that comes from a depth of thought and intuition....truly a gift. The bathing and water images you brought forth were beautiful....baptism of friendship....I like that too. Up to your shoulders, huh? Be brave, girl, hold your breath and..... :) It is all God.
Wow, Naomi and Ruth, you brought forth all kinds of good conversation.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Jun 08 2010 2:10:37 PM |
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Singing Tree Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Cari
Chase
Michigan
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 4:46:17 PM
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Julia, You do have a way with words. You make me smile.
All of creation sings Your praise! |
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buffypuff
True Blue Farmgirl
1183 Posts
Claudia
Deer Park
WA
USA
1183 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2010 : 11:41:40 AM
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Rae, are we ready to move on to 1 Samuel?
Buffypuff/ Claudia
Farmgirl & Sister #870
"Half of success is the assurance of support along the way." cr
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julia hayes
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
julia
medical lake
wa
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2010 : 6:41:07 PM
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Hello lovely ladies... Jeannie, I've been thinking about what you said, "Up to your shoulders, huh? Be brave girl, hold your breath and..." I've been thinking about it for days. I understand the metaphor completely.. I suppose I set it up to take you in that direction. But let me assure you and reassure you, I have been baptized in the tradition in which your convictions are deeply held. I'm no longer content to only putting my head under the water within the tub when the wonders of the sea await....You may think otherwise but I am exactly where I need to be. Like I said and like you said, "it is all God." It is.....Thinking of you with such fondness...thinking of you constantly!! ~julia
being simple to simply be
Farmgirl #30
www.julia42.etsy.com
www.about-aria.blogspot.com |
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Old Spirit
True Blue Farmgirl
1509 Posts
Rae
MN
1509 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 04:52:10 AM
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I so apologize for not being here. Have had some stuff heavy on my heart, especially yesterday. Will get back to this and on track again.
God bless you all for your patience with me.
Rae
Farm Girl #647
...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles:...
Isaiah 40:31
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classygram
True Blue Farmgirl
1812 Posts
Brenda
Pleasant Hill
Mo.
USA
1812 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 05:52:44 AM
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Oh Rae, please know that your are in my prayers and thoughts. Sweetheart we need to take the time to deal with the stressful situations in our lives. Please know there is no need to apolize. We know that when you are not here there is good reason for it and that you will connect when you can. Take care my dear friend.
Hugs, Brenda
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matter compared to what lies within us."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Seek reasons to Love..In every sigment of everyday-look for something that brings forth within you a feeling of Love-Abraham Hicks |
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Family Matters: Bible Study #1- Women of the Bible |
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Bible Study #1- Women of the Bible
