Pretty Piggy

"Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman who lacks good sense." (Proverbs 11:22)

As a woman who bore a nose ring for a large portion of her adult years, all I can say is: "Oink". For many years, I didn't spare myself of any chance to try to decorate myself. I had a box of jewelry, a closet full of clothes I was never satisfied with, a five pound box filled with makeup choices, and a heart that dragged upon the ground and risked getting stepped upon by my own feet.

Why did I outwardly adorn myself if I felt so ugly inside? If only my true ugliness were as blatant as a sow's bristly hide and beady eyes. Perhaps then, I would have understood how ridiculous it was to try to play the beauty when I was not one. Perhaps, I wouldn't have wasted as much time in deception.

Like a pig, I ingested garbage and slop on a daily basis and tried to pass it off as good for me. Like a pig, I rolled in mud and filth. Like a pig, I was vicious and unpredictable around people. And like a pig, I was little more than a scavenger for what delight I could find.

Pigs, in Biblical times among the Israelites, were very taboo critters. Pigs are about the only livestock that Provision Farm has not housed at any point. Pigs are very dirty for many reasons. Did you know that pigs literally are so full of toxins that their bodies cannot process them all and they are equipped with a "pus canal" that runs down their hocks to drain bodily poisons? Did you also know that pigs can can eat vipers and rattlesnakes and not die? Pigs are not beautiful, and they're just plain gross on many levels.

We all, before Jesus changed us, were much like pigs. Any attempts we made to make ourselves acceptable and lovable in the eyes of God were ridiculous before we were transformed by Him. God saw our ugliness; He was not deceived. And one must wonder if all of our cries of "Lord! Lord!" sounded like little more than pitiful squeals in the courts of Heaven when we acted like pigs while trying to pass ourselves off as beautiful.

"For by a single offering he has brought to the goal for all time those who are being set apart for God and made holy...Now where there is forgiveness for these, an offering for sins is no longer needed. So, brothers, we have confidence to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Jesus. He inaugurated it for us as a new and living way through the curtain, by means of his flesh. We also have a great priest over God's household. Therefore, let us approach the Holiest Place with a sincere heart, in the full assurance that comes from trusting--with our hearts sprinkled clean from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:14&18-22)

So, Christ has made me new. I'm not unclean and I'm not a pig anymore. I'm acceptable and I can walk into His Throne Room trusting that He will lay His scepter to me in favor. Why then, should I worry about how I appear? Now that Christ has begun transforming me from the inside out, I am enough. There is nothing I can add to me to make me more beautiful than I am.

Lady, a better Sculptor far
Chiseled those curves you smudge and mar;
And God did more than lipstick can
To justify your mouth to man.

C.S. Lewis

This is no criticism to those who wear makeup, wear jewelry, or have nice clothes. This is a reminder to those who think that adornment will somehow make them more beautiful than they already are in Christ that they cannot achieve what they are after. If your spirit has not been redeemed, and if your mind has not been renewed, and if your heart has not been cleansed, and if your tongue is not submitted to God's holiness, then whatever you are doing to try to appear beautiful is ridiculous. If God has transformed you as He did for me, then know that whatever you decorate yourself with will not justify you; it will only accentuate the beauty that only He can make.

A Poisoned Apple

"Bless Adonai, my soul! Everything in me, bless his holy name! Bless Adonai, my soul, and forget none of his benefits! He forgives all your offenses, he heals all your diseases, he redeems your life from the pit, he surrounds you with grace and compassion, he contents you with good as long as you live, so that your youth is renewed like an eagle's." -Psalm 103:1-2

Once upon a time, there was a fair maiden. Her step-mother was jealous of her, so she tried to have her killed. The maiden fled into the woods to escape death and took up residence with some hospitable dwarfs. After the step-mother found out that the maiden was still alive, she disguised herself and offered the maiden a poisoned apple. She promised the young lady that all her dreams would come true if she would but take a bite. The maiden insisted it wasn't a good idea to be having an interlude with a stranger (as she knew that someone was seeking her death), but took a bite anyway because she was too easily deceived. The poisoned apple took effect and the maiden died. However, with True Love's kiss, she awoke and lived happily ever after.

How many of you think I just told the story of Snow White? You're wrong, because according to my son, this is the story of Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. I also just told the story of how Jesus awakens us from our spirit's death with His True Love. He shall indeed ride into the wild woodlands of our life and shake the sleep from our souls and carry us into Eternity with Him. The story of the evil step-mother tricking the maiden with the poisoned apple was not a tragedy so much as it was a springboard setting the stage for a redemptive love story. (Genesis 3)

With so many good things to eat, I hardly think of all the terrible things I should not eat. I enjoy eating eggs, but I am not tempted to eat the fork along with them. With all the wonderful things God has created for our pleasure, why are we tempted to indulge in things that will only harm us? Each and every temptation is like a shiny, beautiful apple....but it's a wolf in sheep's clothing, because it's poisoned.

"How blessed is the man who perseveres through temptation! For after he has passed the test, he will receive as his crown the Life which God has promised to those who love him. No one being tempted should say,'I am being tempted by God.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, and God himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is being tempted whenever he is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire." -James 1:12-14

Enjoy what God has given you. Be careful to only desire what He desires and to test every spirit; for the enemy's time is short and he is very jealous and is seeking you out to destroy you. But behold! Though we are sinners, Christ has overcome death and He longs to share that inheritance of eternal life in Paradise with you! What was lost in Eden will be redeemed by True Love's Kiss. After this journey, we shall be swept away to live happily ever after.

The End

Thin Skinned

"People with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offense." -Proverbs 19:11

Every now and then, one of our chickens will lay an egg that has no shell. Instead of a shell, the egg will literally be only a thin, leathery membrane of skin. For some reason or other, the egg didn't become calcified before being laid. With no shell, it doesn't take much to destroy the delicate innards of the egg.

It is easy to become offended. It's second nature to allow our innards to become scrambled by life's abrasive and abusive ways. We need to be prepared for the fact that our enemy is merciless and is seeking to destroy us. We must not be thin-skinned! We must put on the armor of God to protect our precious hearts. One of the greatest ways to protect ourselves is through basic obedience to God's Word and self-control.

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." -Proverbs 25:28

Ruling our spirits and submitting them to God's ways protects us from most of what the enemy will throw at us. Life will happen, but how will we react? Men will betray, and many will hurt us without even trying. What will we do?

"For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours." -Matthew 6:14&15

Forgiveness protects us from not only destroying ourselves with bitterness, but also from the wrath of God. Forgiveness is like a shell protecting us. God will not forgive us our offenses if we do not forgive others. If a holy God can overlook our offenses when we humble ourselves and repent, who are we to not do the same to fellow people when we are no better than they are?

Let us not live like the "reject" eggs from my chickens. They are formless, floppy, and vulnerable to nearly every provocation. Instead, let us be conformed to the image of Christ who bore no bitterness despite the fact that he was the most wrongfully assaulted person ever. Let us not be weak and floppy, but strengthened and renewed by waiting upon the Lord and exercising ourselves spiritually so we are fit enough to do battle for others in the name of our Lord. As we bear the name and standard of Christ's righteousness, may we be found without chinks in our armor due to our own lack of self-government.

"Hear a just cause, Adonai, heed my cry;
listen to my prayer from honest lips.
Let my vindication come from you,
let your eyes see what is right.

You probed my heart,
you visited me at night,
and you assayed me without finding evil thoughts
that should not pass my lips.
As for what others do, by words from your lips
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent;
my steps hold steadily to your paths,
my feet do not slip.

Now I call on you, God, for you will answer me.
Turn your ear to me, hear my words.
Show how wonderful is your grace,
savior of those who seek at your right hand
refuge from their foes.
Protect me like the pupil of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked, who are assailing me,
from my deadly enemies, who are all around me.

They close their hearts to compassion;
they speak arrogantly with their mouths;
they track me down, they surround me;
they watch for a chance to bring me to the ground.
They are like lions eager to tear the prey,
like young lions crouching in ambush.

Arise, Adonai, confront them! Bring them down!
With your sword deliver me from the wicked,
with your hand, Adonai, from human beings,
from people whose portion in life is this world.
You fill their stomachs with your treasure,
their children will be satisfied, too
and will leave their wealth to their little ones.

But my prayer, in righteousness, is to see your face;
on waking, may I be satisfied with a vision of you."

Psalm 17

Dearest friend, overlook offenses and rule your spirit. Our just Lord will surely settle all accounts and make all things right. We believe He is good and trustworthy, so let us act like it.

The Lust of the Flesh

Autumn on the farm means primarily one thing: downsizing. I walk meditatively among my animals and pause and reflect among many of them. I decide which ones I will keep and which ones I will sell or slaughter. Winter drives the beasties into the barn and all that they eat comes from my pocketbook instead of what the Lord has produced in their pasture. Old laying hens will soon meet the plucking machine...breeders who haven't produced well will meet the gambrel...temperamental goats that don't share food with their neighbors will share their own selves soon...and the ones who were destined from birth (wethers) will finally live up the names they've borne for the past 8 months or so. Let's see, there's Baby Beef, Little Sausage, etc....

I'm not hungry, but I cannot help gazing over my flock and mentally pick off the ones I know will taste so good; I am imagining maple sausages, grilled chops, meatballs, stews, and roasts. Jokingly, we say I am literally lusting after their flesh and they don't seem to know it. They contentedly munch their hay and grain and bleat with their little tails wagging.

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said,'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.' Jesus answered,'It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"(Matthew 4:2-4)

When Jesus was tempted with turning the stones into bread, it was referred to as being tempted with 'the lust of the flesh'. The other things he was tempted with were called 'the lust of the eyes' and 'the pride of life'. However, lust of the flesh is simply desiring something natural to desire. Jesus was legitimately very hungry. If he were not hungry, it wouldn't have been much of a temptation. However, it was the Spirit who led him into the desert, so it must be the Spirit who was to sustain him. He passed the test. He was not supposed to use his divine power to satiate his flesh.

Lust of the flesh takes on many, many forms that are overlooked. For example, have you ever had a task that you knew you should complete, but you yielded to your tiredness and didn't complete it? Tiredness is natural and is no more sinful than desiring bread when you haven't eaten in 40 days. Have we tried the divine path when tempted with quitting? We could say,"It is written: You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Heb. 10:36)".

The Lord is not looking to build an army of weak-willed people who cave to natural cravings. Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully made so that our body signals when we are to satisfy a need. But one need so desperately forsaken is the need to exercise our spiritual self. We are more than flesh, we are born again...born of the Spirit of the One who raised himself from the dead! Surely, we are more than ovecomers!(Romans 8:37)

I am not suggesting that I am strong. Indeed, I am weak. However, God transforms my helplessness into something beautiful that He can use. A leaf that desperately tries to dig it's little stem into the ground will weary itself with each puff of wind that tests it's resolve; plus, it is likely it will become trampled into the ground and will become nothing more than the dirt it's pressed into. However, a leaf that yields itself to the wind, takes flight and rides the current of the wind and avoids being trampled underfoot. I am that leaf. May the power of the Living God move me and use me. Breathe on me, O Breath of Life.

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." Romans 6:6

So, it is written.

Ezer

How can I not write about my dog, Asher? Asher is a border collie, and he helps me move the livestock every day. Before I had him, I would run around like a fool, yelling and waving my arms trying to round up the sheep. They didn't take me very seriously. I didn't take me very seriously.

Asher does so much more than help me move the stock. Asher is a good friend. Ask anyone who has visited my home, and they will tell you that he greets you with a hug. He will wrap his arms around your leg and squeeze. He is extremely obedient and will always go out of his way to obey. He not only answers to me, but to anyone. He responds even to my children as an authority. If you tell him to lay down, he will drop to the ground immediately with no hesitation. His desire is to please...always. I have even had friends bring their dogs to my home, and Asher keeps them in line and will not let them disobey their owner or chase chickens or whatever else naughty a dog may do.

When we need a job with the stock done, the first question is: "Where's Asher? I need him." He brings order to the barnyard and he carries authority. The very sight of him makes the sheep bolt into the barn, so I actually cannot have him out during feeding time or the sheep would never get fed. With all he does, though, he doesn't assume his own authority; but he submits to me.

The word "ezer" accurately describes Asher in my life. Ezer is the Hebrew word for "help".

One of the first uses of it in Scripture is when Adam meets Eve and she is called his "ezer kenegdo" (help-meet). This is found in Genesis 2:18. God says that it is not good for man to be alone. Man alone is a lot like the picture of me trying to round up the sheep without Asher. Now, granted, some men are called into a life of celibacy, but they are hardly alone; God is their all. What I'm speaking of is that woman was created to help man do his job. She was not created directly in the image of God, but the image of man, who was made in the image of God (1 Corinthians 11:8&9). This is not to say that women are NOT made in the image of God at all, but simply that she was taken from man and is the glory of man. Women indeed are made in the image of God same as man, only more indirectly so. Thusly, for the ladies, remember to submit to your husband and have a heart for pleasing him. If you are not married, do it for your father. If you are single, do it for God who is your heavenly Father and your Bridegroom. Be His ezer kenegdo...it's who you were created to be, and anything apart from that will leave you feeling incomplete because you are truly being delinquent against the very fiber of your being. For the men, look to God as your Head and Leader--come alongside Him and allow His authority to work through you to bring order to a rebellious world.

Help can also take on the form of something much stronger than something that comes alongside you that aids you in your tasks. The word "ezer" is used again in Psalm 121--

"If I raise my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come? My help comes from Adonai, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip--your guardian is not asleep. No, the guardian of Israel never slumbers or sleeps. Adonai is your guardian; at your right hand Adonai provides you with shade--the sun can't strike you during the day or even the moon at night. Adonai will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. Adonai will guard your coming and going from now on and forever."

Come again? "...at your right hand?" That sounds like God is our helper! Not only do we come alongside God to carry out His will, He comes alongside us to aid us in what He's called us to do. What a beautiful design the Lord laid out for our relationship with Him! My dear Asher is much like this picture of "helping guardian", as nothing happens on my land that Asher is not aware of first. He alerts me so that I can be watchful. He makes me a better ruler over this land the Lord gave me.

Ezer. What a beautiful word.

"Two are better than one, in that their cooperative efforts yield this advantage: if one of them falls, the other will help his partner up--woe to him who is alone when he falls and has no one to help him up." -Ecclesiastes 4:9&10