A Day in the Life

The pioneer woman rose from her bed while thinking of the responsibilities that were hers that day. The night had been long, and cold, and lonely. Since the illness of death of her husband she met the task daily of feeding her three young sons, sending them off to the one-room school, then working the fields to make a crop, her only hope for family income.

It was quite a heavy load for one person, let alone the fact she was a woman, now doing all the work of both she and her deceased husband.  The night's darkness had not given way to the dawn of a new day, but she was already busy, building a fire in the kitchen stove to fix breakfast for the kids.  One by one her sons arrived at the kitchen's round dining table. Their breakfast prepared and served, they settled into their places, knowing as they ate, their mother would tell them a Bible story.  They had heard about Noah and the flood, she had related the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments.  She would sometimes read to them from the Psalms or relate the warnings given by the prophets.

In today's story, she told about a woman that was caught in a terrible sin. The religious leaders had taken her to Jesus, inquiring from him what to do with the sinful woman.  They law under which they lived stated the woman should be stoned to death.  But Jesus took aim at the religious fellows who had delivered her to him, wanting to see the Lord's reaction.  The story-telling mother related to them how Jesus had invited these religious onlookers to go ahead and throw rocks at this lady, if they themselves were without sin. One by one, her accusers turned and walked away.  When they were gone, Jesus told the sinful woman he would not condemn her either, and to go and sin no more.

The young boys hearing the story were full of questions.  Hadn't this sinful woman broken God's law? Didn't mom tell them she was caught while sinning?  Isn't the law supposed to be followed?

Probably better than any preacher or Bible expert, the pioneer woman told her children how much God loves us, even when we break his laws.....yes, even when we sin.  Jesus had come into the world to deliver us from our lives of sin, to set us free to experience God's grace and love, and to live his life as an example of how we are to love each other. 

The woman hurried her kids off to school, and now was thinking of her long day in working in the fields. It was harvest time and she was anxious to get the crops gathered and sold.  She noticed an approaching wagon,  filled with friends from the local church, to help her gather the crops.  In one day's time, the eight workers lovingly accomplished more than she could have done in a week.

Her love for God was shown in the way she taught her children about a loving Savior. Love for others was demonstrated when fellow Christians showed up to help with her work.  (I stopped at this point and read the story I had written....several times.)  It made me think of one verse in Acts, from which I hope we can see ourselves. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers"  Acts 2:42.

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