Life and Health

Fear the Lord and shun evil.

This will bring health to your body

And nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8

During our Wednesday night music and missions program for the children of the church, one of my second grade girls sitting next to me said, “Miss Liz – guess what.”  This is a common question for children – often more of a game, so I automatically answered “What?” She quietly replied, “My teacher died last night.”  It took a moment for me to absorb what she said – to understand the awful reality of her comment.  “Your school teacher?” I asked.  “Yes,” she said. “She had a heart attack.”  My heart ached for this girl and the rest of the children in her classroom.  What a devastating thing for a young child to comprehend, much less endure.

It is the tradition of my adult choir to have a time of prayer at the end of each rehearsal.  I ask if there are any prayer requests, and there is always at least one.  More often than not, the situation mentioned for prayer involves someone’s health.  If I were keeping a running tally, I believe I would find that the majority of the situations mentioned involve cancer or heart disease.  Many of the stories are heart-rending.  Disease is no respecter of persons: it strikes young and old, children and parents, men and women.  

Most of us try to take care of ourselves, doing what we can to support our health, avoiding as much stress as is possible in our individual lives, eating well, getting exercise.  There is only so much, however, that we are able to control.  As the mother of a child with major heart disease, I learned long ago that placing her life in the Lord’s hands was the only way I could live with the knowledge of her disease.  Now, as a cancer survivor myself, I understand that on a deeper level.  We have only this one life, and we cherish it.  Placing it in God's loving hands brings a peace that calms the soul.    

Today's Prayer Requests

The Classroom of Children whose teacher passed away.

The Family of the teacher who passed away 

All those who are suffering from serious disease 

Take a Break!

Photo Courtesy of Google Internet Favorite Cat Photos

Whatsoever thy hand finds to do,

Do it with all your might,

for in the grave, where you are going,

there is neither working nor planning

nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Ecclesiastes  9:10

The beginning of the fall season is an intensive time for the music director of a church.  I have been working all summer on the music for the coming choral season, but there are always details that still need to be addressed when September arrives.  There are ten music groups in my church, eight of which I myself direct.  Sunday I worked a thirteen hour day.  Monday went until 8:00pm, Tuesday the same, and yesterday’s workday ended at 8:30pm. 

This morning when I awoke, my mind refused to even consider the possibility of going into the office.  My brain was in music overload, and it demanded a break. My work is not over this evening until after 9pm.  Why in the world should I go into the office early this morning?   So I obeyed my inner mental health expert, and went outside – into God’s great creation.  The rain has finally stopped in our area, and this morning is cool and sunny.  I mowed the rest of the front yard (good physical exercise!), did some grass trimming, cut suckers off of my crepe myrtles, and generally exulted in having my head in the fresh air and my hands in the dirt.

Solomon admonishes us to work hard and well at what we do, and I try my best to accomplish that.  However, many of us simply do not know when to quit.   There is a time to work, and there is a time to take a break from your labors – especially when the job is intensive.   I will be much more productive (and happy) this afternoon/evening because I stopped to trim the roses.  Take just a moment today to give your spirit a little down time.  Your body will thank you.

Today's Prayer Needs

Judy and Kayla for recuperation after surgery 

Mason for peace and security with issues at school

Laci, Steve and Gordon for traveling safety.

Hidden Dangers

Photo courtesy of Google Internet Search

I have hidden Your word in my heart

That I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:11

I have an acquaintance that appears to be in relatively good health.  There are no outward indications that anything might possibly be wrong.  When visiting the doctor the other day, however, she complained of feeling tired most of the time.  Something just didn’t seem right.  When the normal vital signs were found to be fine, the doctor questioned her more closely.  Was there anything else that seemed just a little off-kilter?  “Yes,” she replied, “my legs.”

An ultrasound was ordered, the results of which would be ready in a few days.  Imagine her surprise when she received an urgent call from the doctor’s office.  She needed to be seen by a vascular surgeon immediately!  The diagnosis?  Severe vascular disease hidden in the depths of her legs.  She could hardly believe this was possible, for there were no outward signs of the inward condition threatening her life.

The writer of the one hundred and nineteenth psalm knew that the human heart can be a hidden receptacle of hatred, deceit, jealousy, anger, and many other traits that flourish unseen and threaten to destroy the soul.  His solution?  To fill his heart with the word of God to prevent the seeds of sin from taking root.  As my father would say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  

Great peace have they who love Your law,

and nothing can make them stumble.

Psalm 119:165

Grief Wiped Away

And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death or mourning,

or crying or pain,

for the old order of things has passed away.

Revelation 21:4

I have to play for another funeral this morning - yet another saint at church who has gone to his rest.  This gentleman has been bedridden for a long time, and one could say that it is better that he is no longer suffering, but it is never, ever that easy for those left behind who loved and cherished him.

Please say a prayer this morning for Rachel and her family as they begin the process of living without their beloved husband, father, grandfather.  And whisper a "thank you" for this day of life that you have been given to enjoy.  Some individuals have a long time to process the certainty of their death.  Others are snatched away without even a moment's notice.  Live life to the fullest today, bind close to your heart those whom you love, and praise God for your many blessings.

Neglected

I delight in Your decrees;

I will not neglect Your word.

Psalm 119:16

When Hurricane Irene came roaring through last month, it took down a half of a large tree in our neighborhood.  Fortunately, it crashed down beside the house, rather than on it.  The police cut off the portion of tree that fell into the road, but the rest of it covered the front and side of the yard.  The home was unoccupied, and no one in the neighborhood seemed to know the status of the property, as the former tenants moved out in the middle of the night a few months ago.  The grass in the front yard was almost a foot tall, liberally decorated with storm debris.  Eventually, calls were made to the county alerting them to the situation.

On Wednesday of last week, I was pleased to discover two men and a woman, a huge trailer, and several chain saws at work on the fallen tree.  The lawn on the right side of the front sidewalk had been neatly mowed, and the overall work was progressing nicely.  Thursday morning most of the tree was cut into manageable pieces, and the lawnmower was sitting in the left portion of the yard.  Thursday evening after work, I slowed down to take a look at the finished product.  All remnants of the tree were gone, but the yard was another matter altogether.  Perhaps the lawn mower had given up the ghost at the thought of plowing through more foot tall grass, but most of the left side of the yard and the entire ditch area along the roadside was untouched by a blade – leaving the home still looking empty, unloved and neglected.

Calamity has a way of shattering the landscape of our hearts and lives as well as our physical homes.  Picking up the pieces can be a long and arduous process, often bringing more discouragement than joy.  The author of Psalm 119 has seen his fair share of heartache and trouble, but he has chosen to anchor his life in the sure foundation of the Word of God.   In our verse for today, the psalmist vows that he will not neglect the scriptures, but delight in them, for they are “…a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Two Are Better Than One

Two are better than one,

Because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down, his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

There is a Safeco Insurance commercial currently playing, showing two women sitting at the kitchen table having coffee and talking about the neighbors.  Apparently, the people next door have a place in the mountains, go there every weekend, and thoroughly enjoy doing so.  The gossiper’s question?  What in the world do they do up there?  There’s no TV, no internet, no restaurants…  She comes to the conclusion that they must just sit up there and talk.  The music comes on at that point, and the narrator says, “There are people who don’t understand the way you live; there’s an insurance company who does.”

I’ve known several people in my life whose way of living has puzzled me, but one lifestyle that I just don’t get is… bullfighting.  I know, you’re thinking, “Wow, didn’t expect you to say that!”  However, a friend of mine recently asked me to list some vintage bullfighting magazines on E-bay, and I have been reading them (with the help of Google Translator), particularly those that recorded the tragic death in 1984 of a world renowned, 36-year-old matador named Paquirri.

When a man reaches matador status, he is a rich and famous entertainer, employing five assistant bullfighters who begin the bullfight with him.  He is, however, the star, and must end the performance alone, playing the bull with a red cape, and finally killing it with a sword.  When something goes wrong, which it does almost every season, the matador ends up in the hospital for a few weeks (best case scenario).  If things really go wrong, and your five assistants cannot reach you in time, you will have a huge, gaping wound from the goring of a bull’s horn - your life’s blood pouring out into the barren dirt of the ring.  Riches and fame are worth very little if you are not alive to enjoy them.  Medical intervention at bullfights has improved greatly since 1984, but I still cannot fathom why anyone (including both of Paquirri’s sons) would choose to fight a bull.

There are few things in life that I am willing to face alone. I cannot imagine dealing with the vagaries of life, or the “bulls” of sin and temptation, without friends and family beside me and God at my right hand.  

Fundraising for School

With much wisdom comes much sorrow:

the more knowledge, the more grief.

Ecclesiastes 1:18

My doorbell rang Thursday during a break in the rain.  When I answered, I found two adorable children on my stoop, each clutching a large envelope that had all the earmarks of the annual school fundraising catalog.  The boy’s face was split ear-to-ear with an infectious grin as he told me that he was selling items for his school.  The little girl was dancing from foot to foot – obviously afraid that her big brother was going to get the sale and leave her out of the equation.  As I glanced toward the street looking for a parent, I found the mother standing with a third child, also holding a sales catalog.  I motioned the older girl over, and the four of us sat on the stairs to look at all the beautifully displayed, wondrously overpriced goodies.

These children certainly knocked on the right door, for I am the neighborhood school fundraising junkie.  I buy from every child who lands on my doorstep, and I instantly realized that I needed to purchase something from each of these kids.  How could I choose one over another?  I finally found three things that I could afford and actually use, wrote three checks, and the beaming children went merrily on their way.

Young children by and large are very happy creatures.  They have few cares in this world, other than homework and sibling squabbles.  As they get older, they find life much less tolerant of their happiness - much more apt to place burdens on their backs than smiles on their faces.   Kids regard everyone as their friend; we who are older and wiser must teach them the sad truth: stranger danger is not just a slogan, it is a reality.  King Solomon knew whereof he spoke.  As we grow up in years and experience, we realize this world often has more troubles than pleasures - as many sorrows as there are joys.

Today's Prayer Needs

Judy, Al and Kayla for continued recovery after surgery

A Young Man with a possible brain tumor

Men and women of the military wherever they are serving 

Turn, Turn, Turn 8

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to love and a time to hate;

A time of war and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,8

Hate (hāt) vt. hated, hating

1 to have strong dislike or ill will for; loathe; despise

2 to dislike or wish to avoid; shrink from

I was taught from early childhood that it is wrong to hate someone, and Jesus spoke quite pointedly about hatred of people as an extension of the desire to murder.  I view “a time to hate,” therefore, from the position of hating things or circumstances.  In that context, I drew up the following list:

Things I Hate:

The sight of a horrific automobile accident with loss of life

Filthy language in the presence of children

The sight of a homeless person with nowhere to go

Dentist appointments

The sound of a child being screamed at

Spiteful criticism

Needles at the doctor’s office

Any language calculated to tear down rather than build up

To watch someone’s health rapidly deteriorate

To lose a friend.

Prejudice

Cruelty to animals

Selfishness

Verbal abuse

I am not blinded to fact that much of what I hate is perpetrated by people.  It brings up the old “Hate the sin, love the sinner” conundrum:  the very thin line between hating what people do vs. hating the people themselves.  The ability to love unconditionally is a gift that only God can give us.  His love reaches out to us regardless of what we have done.  He does not excuse our sin – He forgives us.  When it comes to our dealings with those around us, perhaps forgiveness is the intersection between love and hate.

Turn, Turn, Turn 7

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to rend, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silent, and a time to speak.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,7

There are times, in the human experience, when the negative emotions of grief or anger become so overwhelming, so excruciating, that there are no words to adequately articulate the depth of our pain.  Speech is rendered useless.  Only raw physical action can begin to express our anguish.  In biblical times, that bodily force erupted in the savage tearing of clothing.  It was a potent physical and emotional release that signified the rending of the heart and soul of an individual.

When my twenty-two year marriage was in its final death throes, and the brute agony of years of verbal and emotional abuse threatened to completely engulf me, I occasionally found my release in throwing things that would break upon impact:  a glass, a vase, a plate.  The sight and sound of a fragile object smashing into a million pieces mirrored my own disintegration.  The roar of my silence found its outlet in destruction and devastation.

When the dust of divorce settled and he was finally gone, I began the slow, uncertain process of knitting myself back together.  The introduction of a skilled therapist allowed words to begin to flow – haltingly at first, then bursting forth in a torrent of failure, sorrow and fury.  Over the ensuing years, finding my voice has enabled me to discover who I really am and my value as an individual.  Speaking out brought calm, then peace, and finally, joy.  

Turn, Turn, Turn 6

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to get and a time to lose,

A time to keep, and a time to cast away.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,6

My father was a pack rat.  I’m sure if he were here to defend himself, he would use the term “collector.”  He could never get rid of anything, because “some day” he might need it.  Dad had a large shop at the rear of our property, as well as a huge lean-to and three storage sheds. What didn’t fit inside these areas was kept covered outside.  There was a 1955 Chevy station wagon filled with hub caps, and a 1939 Chevy coupe packed with other assorted car parts.  The lean-to sheltered tractors and small gas engines in various stages of restoration.  Inside the shop, there were shelves of baby food jars and yellow Kodak boxes – each with a different size of nail, screw, washer, nut, or bolt.  Each container was neatly stacked and clearly marked.  Viewing the back yard area of our home was like glimpsing a chronicle of my father’s life.

In contrast, the landscape around my home is orderly and pristine:  two storage sheds and a small lean-to for gardening tools are ship-shape.  The inside of my home, however, is a totally different story.  I drown in paper.  Every flat surface in my home is covered with paper – even the top of my baby grand piano. E-mails, Internet search results, Bible studies, worksheets for teaching, junk mail, good mail, bills, advertisements for discounts – I can’t seem to throw anything away because it might come in handy.  I can whip myself in shape and start through the house determined to clear surfaces and fill the recycle bin.  Invariably, I quickly come to something I just can’t throw away.  After all, I might need it “some day.”  Half the time, instead of casting away, I simply re-stack. Truly, the acorn does not fall far from the tree.

I have, however, taught my children that when it comes to material things such as shoes, clothing, books, etc., there is a time to keep, and a time to give to Goodwill.  Giving to someone whose needs are greater than my own helps me admit that the shirt I bought two weeks ago, though brand new, is never going to look good on me no matter how long I hang on to it.  When I know that my unused or no longer needed items will be a treasure for someone else, the task of gathering together and "casting away" becomes an experience of shared joy.

Turn, Turn, Turn 5

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,5

I can still remember the time in my young life when I first realized that not everyone liked me – a very hurtful fact for a child, but one that we all experience.  For whatever reason, there is always someone in the crowd who delights in embarrassing you, making your life miserable, or just dishing out sheer meanness. Somewhere along the line, I learned that I needed to know how to build a good wall – a personal wall that kept the offenders out and my sanity and self-esteem within. 

After a while, the wall became a defensive mechanism – staunchly in place “just in case” I happened to be around someone that needed to be kept at bay.  What a joy, then, to meet an individual who proved to be true, honest, trustworthy, loyal, and a real friend – someone for whom the stones of the wall could be dismantled.  

When my middle daughter was a young lass, she had the kind of personality who never met a stranger.  She embraced anyone and everyone with equal charity, believing that the world was a good and wholesome place populated with wonderful kids like her.  It was difficult to watch her pure optimism diminish under the harsh truth that there is, indeed, a time to refrain from embracing.  True friends are a rare commodity and we clasp them to our hearts with joy.  False friends rip and tear through the fabric of our being, and we must abstain from a close embrace and gather wall stones again.

What kind of a friend would you like to have?  What kind of a friend would you like to be?   My prayer is that we each will live our lives today so that no one feels the need to gather stones and build a wall against us. 

   

Turn, Turn, Turn, 4

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

I was born dancing, I think – or at least I began dancing at a very early age.  When I was four years old, my mother started me in dance and tumbling classes.  I loved tap dancing, tolerated jazz and modern dance, and enjoyed ballet very much.  I trained in dance from that early age until I was almost twelve.

At that point in my life, my mother joined a church with fundamentalist tendencies that declared that dancing was a sin.  In due course, my dancing and gymnastics lessons disappeared – lest I be corrupted by something I had joyfully participated in for the previous eight years.  It was a classic example of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  Satan can and has corrupted many of God’s gifts to the human race.  Discarding of them wholesale is an easy way to “control” one’s temptations, but who gets to pick and choose what we throw out and what we don’t?

I no longer believe dancing is a “sin.”  I believe there will be dancing in heaven.  I believe there will be joyous movement to music in praise of our Creator. Here on earth, there will always be a Herodias in the crowd to turn dance into a sleazy mating ritual, but the rest of us need not follow suit. Ecclesiastes clearly states that there is a time to dance.  The Psalms invoke us to praise God with timbrel and dance. I, for one, believe that the Bible means exactly what it says.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger.
May you never take one single breath for granted;
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed.
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,

I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance.
Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking.
Loving might be a mistake, but it's worth making.
Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter;

When you come close to selling out – reconsider.

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,

I hope you dance.

To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn 3

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,3

After I graduated with my Master’s degree in vocal performance, I went to teach at a junior college in Ontario, Canada.  The Canadian arts community has a wonderful annual music festival competition that is sponsored by Kiwanis Club. Competitions are held in every little hamlet, with the winners progressing to competitions in larger cities, then the province competition, and finally the national competition.  Every music teacher in Canada prepares their students to enter the Kiwanis Music Festival.  As a new teacher in Oshawa, I was no exception.

One day the head of the Music Department suggested to me that, as the new teacher on the block, it would be good for me to enter the adult division competition as an example to my students.  I filed the necessary paperwork and chose my solo:  the Alleluia from Exultate, Jubilate by Mozart.  The piece is very high, interlaced with runs, and a real “barn-burner” for a coloratura soprano.  The adult division competed on the final evening of the Festival, with fifteen adult entrants.  The adjudicator was Dame Megan Rutledge from the Canadian Opera.

I sang well, I won the trophy for the adult division, and then was presented with the Governor’s Cup as overall winner of the Festival.  My students were ecstatic, and I, by nature an introvert, was quite smug in my victory.  As I was receiving congratulations from the audience, Dame Rutledge came forward to speak to me.  As we shook hands, she said, “That was very…nice.  Now,” she said, as she proffered a business card, “if you would really like to learn how to sing, give me a call.”  My ears were deafened with the hissing sound of my deflating ego!

All these years later, I still laugh every time I think of that moment.  It was, quite frankly, the best thing that ever happened to me.  I chose to take up the gauntlet she threw at my feet, and I gained the privilege of studying for over three years with the most amazing vocal professional I have ever met.  Her techniques revolutionized my singing.  Her passion for me as an artist helped me grow in ways I never would have achieved on my own.  She gave me wisdom, compassion, assurance, self-confidence, and love – all qualities that I would desperately need in my star-crossed life.  I am grateful to this day that she understood so well that a little judicious pruning enables startling new growth.  

To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn 2

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,3

Yesterday was my second day of teaching at a local high school specialty center for the arts.  Last week I met my new freshman class and gave them their syllabus, their first practice log to record the time they spend working on their songs, and their first worksheet – looking up definitions of various professional solo voicings (basso, mezzo-soprano, coloratura soprano, counter-tenor, etc.).  I provided the web address for an online music dictionary, and went through every aspect of their new class before handing out their individual solos.

When the bell rang yesterday, in strolled my over-confident, slightly smug group – laughing and smiling and general very pleased with themselves. I said, “All right.  You owe me a finished worksheet and a completed practice log.  I’m coming around with your new materials for this week.”  All but one pair of eyes stared back at me in confusion.  Completed worksheet?  What worksheet?  “Oh…..that?”? “ I thought we just needed to do that when we had time.”  “I didn’t realize you meant me to actually do this!”  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find my mother this morning to get my practice log signed,”  and on, and on, and on.  It was time for a little breaking down.

I only spoke for a few moments to the entire group, but the smugness evaporated in thin air, and few eyes would meet mine.  I am, although they don’t know it yet, my students’ best advocate, and will do almost anything to help them succeed.  I do not, however, accept bad work, excuses, and laziness. If they thought this would be an “easy class” in that way, they needed to think again.  One young man who turned in the worksheet had filled the entire thing out from the dictionary of his own 14-yr-old brain, marking his own voicing as a countertenor.  When I questioned him about that choice, he confidently said that his voicing was between tenor and bass.  When I revealed that a countertenor was, in fact, an adult male who sings like a woman alto/mezzo-soprano, he made a very quick retraction.

I will spend this entire school year building these young people up (to the best of my ability), but there will continue to be times when I will have to bring them down a notch or two.  There are few things worse in the world of singing than an artist with an ego that makes him/her better than anyone else and beyond acceptance of criticism or help.  God willing, these youngsters will grow into confident musicians with humble hearts.

Prayer Needs for Today

Judy and Al for continued healing after surgery

Joel for level-headed thinking at college

For the young men and women on the military front lines 

To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn

Datura flower in front garden

For everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

After several Indian Summer days, a cold wind blew through our region last night, and this morning we woke up to beautiful fall temperatures with a forecast of more to come.  Fall brings many changes to the garden, and I have been preparing for it for several weeks.  I thoroughly pruned two crabapples and an ornamental orange.  I’ve pulled out the petunias that were beyond leggy, and replaced them with winter-over pansies and ornamental kale. 

At the beginning of the summer, I had a whole raft of datura plants rise up from seed in a very large planter where one datura had reigned the year before.  Having no particular place to plant such a treasure trove, but refusing to miss out on the beautiful white blooms, I threw the little plants into the new flower bed I am developing along my front walkway.  Daturas are totally the wrong plant to put in such a location, but I knew that they would only be temporary boarders.  They grew to a height of 28” and a width of over two feet, and graced the landscape with all the white trumpet flowers I could possibly want. 

On Monday, however, I realized that it was time – time to say goodbye to my plant friends and pull them up - time to finally get the edging blocks in and fill the bed with mulch.   So in the dark of night (literally!), I grabbed a recyclable bag and slipped outside to cut down/uproot nine beautiful plants.  If they had had voices, I know they would have protested.  There was one beautiful trumpet flower still in bloom, and I paused a moment to admire its beauty.  Then into the sack and into the garbage it went, leaving my front yard looking strangely different.  Not awful – just different.

Life gives us birthing and dying, planting and uprooting.  Very little in this world always stays the same.  Change is all around us.  How we react to that change will color our days on this earth.  Placing all things into God’s hand, knowing that He has control of the reins, makes for a much more peaceful journey.

Content

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house;

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant,

nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor

anything that is thy neighbor’s.

Exodus 20:17

Covet (kuv´ət) vt.,vi [[ME OFr covee]]

To want ardently (especially something that another person has)

Long for with envy

Covet is not a big word in a child’s vocabulary, but jealousy certainly is, and jealousy is at the core of coveting.  I find it curious that this commandment was placed 10^th, because coveting is like the first domino a row of commandments.  Knock it down, and the rest go with it.

If I am jealous of you, or covet your life – I might just take it.

Thou shalt not kill.

If I am jealous of your relationship with your spouse,

I might just try and take them away from you.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

If I am jealous of the things and toys that you have in your life,

I might just take them.

Thou shalt not steal.

If I am jealous of who you are, what you have, and

Who you are with, I might just lie to you or about you.

Thou shalt not bear false witness.

When I was a kid, my mom used to intone, “Break one, and you break them all.”  I didn’t understand that at the time, and felt it was grossly unfair.  Maturity and wisdom have opened my eyes to the interconnection between the first four commandments regarding our relationship with God, and again between the last six commandments regarding our relationship with those around us. 

The heart of this commandment is, Be content (happy) with what you have.  That can be a difficult task – both for children and adults.  The grass always seems greener on the other side.  God has given each of us many blessings.  Recounting those blessings on a daily basis will go a long ways toward quelling the inner voice of discontent.

Truth

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Exodus 20:16

When I asked my children’s S.S. class about the 9^th commandment, every hand in the room was raised.  Without calling on anyone, I asked them to put their hands down.  Then I said, “Please raise your hand if you’ve never told a lie.”  No hands were raised, and everyone laughed.  One of the children said, “If anyone had raised their hand, they would’ve been lying!”  Sigh.  How very sadly true.

I asked the kids if they had ever read the description of God’s people in heaven that is found in Revelation 14:5.  In the original language, it says that these people had no “guile” in their mouths.  If you look up “guile” in the Greek, you will discover that it means “fish bait.”  Why in the world would God say that His people had no fish bait in their mouth?

When you go fishing, you take a fishing pole and bait.  The bait – let’s say a worm – goes on the hook.  Why is there bait on the hook?  To trick the fish.  The worm dangles there to disguise what is really present – a hook that will catch in the fish’s mouth so that he can be drawn to his death.  Guile is deception, falsehood, trickery – a great description of a lie.  God’s people’s lives are transparent – what you see is what you get; what you are told is the truth.

I will always tell the truth and never tell a lie.

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do

and I am His child.

(Sung to the tune Bingo)

Give

Double Rose  No. 5 of the Russet Rose Series

Thou shalt not steal.

Exodus 20:15

This was an easy commandment for the children.  If it doesn’t belong to you, don’t take it.  Enough said.  I knew that they were talking about such things as clothes, gum, jewelry, clothes – shoplifting, taking things at school, stealing money from your parents, and the list goes on.  I said to them, “There are other ways to steal.  Can you think of any?”  When I got no takers, I asked this question:  “Is it possible to steal someone’s reputation – their good name?”

The recognition that this was possible was instantaneous.  It also became immediately clear that you would break other commandments if one broke this one.  Telling lies about someone, hating them enough to want to hurt them, doing everything you can to make life miserable for them doesn’t exactly qualify for loving others as you love yourself. 

Gossip hurts.  Lies hurt.  Cruelty is life-changing, and not for the better.  Jesus says, "Don’t Take!  GIVE."  Give affirmation, give hope, give love, give life!

I will respect what others have,

And not try to take it away.

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do

and I am His child.