Offerings

Gem has a little ritual that she does for mommy and daddy some days.   When we drop her off at Nana’s house in the mornings she will insist that she give us candy before we leave.  Most days we have time for this and others I can feel myself getting irritated inside because we are running late.  Mother has a bowl of candy she keeps on the book shelf by the front door just for this.  One time I tried to hand Gem the bowl of candy and she was quite upset that I didn’t know that was not my job, it was Nana’s.  Well, now I know.  Mother will set the bowl of candy on the rug in front of the door.  Mommy and daddy will stand there with the door open ready to leave for work while Gem kneels down and picks out a piece of candy for each of us.  She always kneels down, and she always has a specific piece of candy that she will give us.  If she we don’t get just the right one she will go back and change it.  Do you get how precise she is in all this?  After we have our special pieces of candy she gladly says bye to us so we can get to work.  Most of the time the candy is chocolate and daddy cannot eat it so mommy has the terrible job of making sure both pieces of candy don’t go to waste…awful right? LOL!   

I’m currently doing a Bible reading plan that has me in the book of Exodus.  I’m going through the chapters where God is explaining to Moses how the Israelites are supposed to set up the tent for worship and sacrifices.  Giving him the exact measurements of everything, the exact material they are to use, the exact details of how each item in the tent is supposed to be placed etc…  God also chooses Aaron and his sons to be priests for him.  After reading this and seeing how exact and precise the Lord wanted things done I couldn’t help but look at Gem’s candy ritual differently.  I could see the traits of God in her with how precise and exact she wants it done.  Thankfully if it’s not done exactly how she wants we don’t die, like what would have happened to the Israelites if they didn’t follow God’s precise instructions.  There’s a specific part that stuck out to me for some reason where God is telling Moses how to ordain Aaron and his sons as his priests and he is told to sacrifice a Ram, and at one point he is supposed to put the blood of the Ram on Aaron and his son’s right ear lobe, the thumbs of their right hands, and big toes of their right feet.  (See Exodus 29:20 Here) I can’t help but giggle and visualize Gemma ordaining Nana with chocolate in the same way so she could hand her the bowl.  LOL!  What I saw most of all was that Gem was giving her mommy and daddy an offering.  She was taking the time to pick out the right piece of candy for each of us, like the Israelites had to do with their offerings.  She had her precise ways things were to be done like God did, and doing them differently was not acceptable.  In the Old Testament God is viewed more in fear then in love.  It’s not till Jesus comes that most see the true love that God has for his people.  I can't imagine God becoming irritated with us when we are offering a sacrifice to him like I did with Gem.  Her giving mommy and daddy those pieces of candy is just another way she can express her love for us.  Just like our offerings should be to the Lord.  Precise, thought out, and given in joy. 

 

Peace, Love, and God Bless.