Friday, December 18, 2009

the bible speaks to me

it's getting colder; my clothesline is a permanent fixture in my kitchen; we find ourselves drinking more tea; we dress in multiple layers with scarves draped around our necks all day long; afternoon trips to the park have been replaced with snuggling reading time on the couch - - or in the kitchen if bread is baking in the oven

(here comes my transition sentence)
Today I didn't bake bread, I did, however, have a coffee with Miriam and Rachel. Have I told you about Friday coffees with Miriam and Rachel? I think I've told some of you. This is how it goes:
We commit to reading 30 chapters of the bible every week;
sometimes it's one book, read through once,
or maybe it's a couple of books, read through several times each;
If one of us is unable to complete the reading, we all read the 30 chapters again.
When we get together, we talk about what we learned from our reading, and we go through a series of accountability questions.
It's all as daunting and wonderful as I thought it would be . . .

this week's reading was I & II Timothy, and I noticed this:

As for the rich in this present age . . .They are to do good , to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. - - I Tim. 6: 17a & 18

So today, there I sat - - my cold hands wrapped around my hot coffee;
right next to my sister Miriam
who works all day and rushes home in the evening so she can spend time with her kids,
and who can't pay her mortgage,
and who has worn the same three pairs of jeans the four years that I have known her,
and whose 9 year old son asked her this week why she couldn't bake with him like Naomi bakes with her kids?

and I felt so rich.

3 comments:

Heather Pelczar said...

I just love your tenderness toward the Lord and others. This post spoke volumes to me after the week of mail we had and all the talking we have done about giving some of May's things away to make room for her newer things and also to show her this very thing. Those who have been given much should cultivate gratitude toward the Lord and generosity toward others. I think you do. :) Merry Christmas dear friend.

Unknown said...

good thoughts. thank you. By the way, I think you may have the wrong http address for your mom's blog, I'm not sure, but it won't go through when I click on it, and then when I click on my address for her it goes through...

Naomi Smith said...

thanks heather; you are encouraging!

and thanks Gab! . . . I've been meaning to change that link for weeks; I just now did it.