The Flood

First of all, let me say, that in watching my "figure", I worked out last Thurs, Fri, Sat, Tues, and Thurs. I am super proud of myself. To keep track, I measure the area around my gut because that's where I gain the weight first and I don't look at my weight because I hate the numbers I see right now. I was always really super skinny through my entire life until I was 23 1/2 and about to get married. Not that I'm fat, but I weigh 30 lbs more than I did in high school so I would rather feel like I look good than worry about the numbers. Now, just so you know, the only reason I worry about how I look is because I gain weight around my midsection first and it doesn't appear to go anywhere else and so for the past 1 1/2 years, the patients at my work have thought I am pregnant. I'm not, but there's no harder thing to hear that when you want it, have had a miscarriage, and haven't been able to convince your husband that it's a good time to try for a baby. (He's warming up to the idea, but I think women usually want it first ;) He melts around children, really.) Ok, so anyway, I am now in the area of where I want to be inches wise and I am so happy. I have one inch left to go and then I will decide if I will set a new goal or just try to maintain where I'm at.

I can't believe it took that long to say that. Haha. The real reason I'm writing is to talk about more of my findings in the Bible. I'm not reading every day, but I think I'm doing pretty good considering. :D So I'm in Genesis and before I talk about the flood, I want to mention Genesis 4:4-5 which talks about Cain and Abel offering what they have to God. Abel tended the flock and Cain tended the soil so they each offered some of what they had. But God didn't find favor in Cain's, only Abel's. I have to wonder why? Did God expect Cain to take some of Abel's flock? Was fruit inappropriate? Was it bad fruit? Was in not wholehearted giving? Why did God not find favor in Cain's offering? I'm sure there's a good reason, but I just don't understand. Especially since the Bible doesn't mention any set rules at this point. Thoughts?

Second, off the flood subject, subject. Gen 6:1-3 say "When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." Now my question is, what does men marrying women and having daughters have to do with God shortening our lives? Haha. I mean seriously. How does the thought that His Spirit won't stay with us forever because we're mortal come after seeing people reproduce? Now I know that there are things which we are not meant to understand, but can anyone give me any insight to either of these things?

Now on to the flood. Let me just mention...How cool would it be to see all these animals come to you for safety?? Wouldn't you feel super awesome knowing you are saving these animals and your family from a flood that's about to destroy the world?!? Ok, so Gen 7:2-3 say, "Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth." To me that looks like there are seven kinds of clean animals, but Noah is taking in two of each kind. But my friend opened my mind to think that meant seven pairs of every kind. What do you think? I've always thought it was only two of every kind of animal. I don't know what to think now. Have I been misguided or did I misunderstand all these years?

Last small topic. Gen 7:20 says the waters rose 20 ft higher than the highest mountain! Wow! How cool is that? God sent so much rain and opened up the "springs of the great deep" to flood the earth this much. I don't know how high the mountains were back then, but they still must've been really high! God is amazing what he can do! Ok, there's my excitement for the day. Thanks for stickin with me thus far. I hope these aren't boring reads. :)