Whew!!! What a busy weekend!! I got in 5 very hot miles on Saturday morning early. On my way home, I stopped for bo-berry biscuits for the fam. Yum! Yum!! Now, because our Saturday (like most of our Saturdays) would be non-stop, I came through the door calling for kiddos to rise and shine. We had an extra sleeping over and she would be the first to get up, and make her way to the breakfast table. This proved to be a rare and sweet treat for me!! My 9 year old niece, Elizabeth, was our guest who joined me for breakfast. A real talker like myself, it did not take her more than a few minutes to get awake and start talking. Just the two of us sitting and having breakfast. Now, Elizabeth loves anything to do with horses. She can talk about them nonstop. She talked about all the toy horses she had. She shared that she had a list of names for her real Black Arabian horse when she finally got it. Since Elizabeth is one of three nieces and two nephews, in addition to the three children I have of my own, the one on one time with her Saturday morning was priceless. It was almost like catching up with an old friend who is so familiar to you ,and yet because of the hectic lives we live, we fail to make time for such simple moments.
I did make some time to research and study up on some verses I had heard last week. In my last blog, I shared a clip from the movie Secretariat. Not to beat a dead horse (a terrible pun intended), but I wanted to revisit the clip due to the newness of these words to me. The words are spoken as the sound of the excitement falls silent. They are lines repeated from poetry recited as the movie opens. These are the words:
More than three thousand years ago a man named Job complained to God about all his troubles and the Bible tell us that God answered.
I did make some time to research and study up on some verses I had heard last week. In my last blog, I shared a clip from the movie Secretariat. Not to beat a dead horse (a terrible pun intended), but I wanted to revisit the clip due to the newness of these words to me. The words are spoken as the sound of the excitement falls silent. They are lines repeated from poetry recited as the movie opens. These are the words:
More than three thousand years ago a man named Job complained to God about all his troubles and the Bible tell us that God answered.
"Do you give the horse its strength
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
the quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds."
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
the quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds."
Wow!!! I am blown away by these beautiful words strung together so eloquently. These words, found in the Book of Job, are a small part of God's response to Job's pain and suffering. Job complains, ask questions and wants to know the why of God's ways. God did not answer Job directly. He used a series of rhetorical questions to illustrate to him how limited Job's knowledge was of God's ways. God wanted Job to recognize and submit to his power and sovereignty. Job's response would be realizing God's ways are best.
Now, upon hearing the above words spoken, I did not know their meaning. I took a little time to study them so I could appreciate what they convey. This powerful description of a warhorse is masterfully written. It conveys its size, beauty and movement. It exhibits its strength and its fearlessness, its bravery and courage. It also hints at the discipline of the horse, and the dominance of the rider as the animal submits to carry him into battle. Such a good and vivid description, and yet could it really be depicting a presumptuous sinner, someone determined to fulfill his own needs and unafraid of God? Commentary after commentary suggest that it does. I am a lover of words, a talker, a communicator. I find these words challenging and thought provoking in their meaning. Phrases like "rejoicing in his strength and charges into the fray" and "In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground" are phrases I want to commit to memory to draw upon when the run gets tough. Just like they are used in Job to describe one thing and mean something else, I will use them in the same manner. I want these words to fuel my run, being ever mindful of their intended depiction.
Stealing moments to study God's Word (brought to mind in an nontraditional way), or to learn about what is going on with someone precious to you is what can get you through the busiest of a hectic schedule. The time commitment was small and really unplanned, but the benefit was great!
Now, upon hearing the above words spoken, I did not know their meaning. I took a little time to study them so I could appreciate what they convey. This powerful description of a warhorse is masterfully written. It conveys its size, beauty and movement. It exhibits its strength and its fearlessness, its bravery and courage. It also hints at the discipline of the horse, and the dominance of the rider as the animal submits to carry him into battle. Such a good and vivid description, and yet could it really be depicting a presumptuous sinner, someone determined to fulfill his own needs and unafraid of God? Commentary after commentary suggest that it does. I am a lover of words, a talker, a communicator. I find these words challenging and thought provoking in their meaning. Phrases like "rejoicing in his strength and charges into the fray" and "In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground" are phrases I want to commit to memory to draw upon when the run gets tough. Just like they are used in Job to describe one thing and mean something else, I will use them in the same manner. I want these words to fuel my run, being ever mindful of their intended depiction.
Stealing moments to study God's Word (brought to mind in an nontraditional way), or to learn about what is going on with someone precious to you is what can get you through the busiest of a hectic schedule. The time commitment was small and really unplanned, but the benefit was great!