Best Birthday Ever (Genesis 6-8)

Contrary to all THE most posh Old Testament birthday party spots, Noah spent his 601st birthday in a floating, smelly, noisy zoo.

But Noah crossed off quite a list of Contrary Things To Do.

Contrary to public opinion, to political correctness of his time, he walked with God.  He was a man of integrity, whose faith in God met up squarely with his community circle of influence.

Contrary to public opinion, he constructed the latest boat model to ever come off the assembly line.  And all for the sake of preparing for RAIN.  Something that had yet to pelt the new soil of earth.

What i love about Noah's story thus far, is that all he had to do was take the first step.  Build the boat.  But if that wasn't a task looming over him larger than life, what about assembling ALL those animals and creatures and crawlers and flippers?  Dorothy & her Wizard of Oz trekkers had nothing on Noah!  Oh. My.

So what nudged at me in this epic story of Noah's Floating Zoo is that God commanded Noah to take on pairs of every living creature (and 7 of some kinds) -- BUT God is the One Who sent all the animals to Noah.

Noah just had to be ready to receive the animals.  God sent an animal parade before Noah's eyes that only Adam had been privy to so far in history, and all Noah had to do was be the parade's MC.

I'm thinking right now of a particular parade God's called me to be ready for.  I have absolutely NO idea HOW He's going to do it (or when, exactly), but I AM looking at my divinely inspired To-Do List to see what remains unchecked.

I just love how great God is ... He gives us a task to accomplish, He sends a parade our way... perhaps we spend a birthday on what feels like a floating, unstable, smelly zoo ... But He's so SO good to grace our hands with His and actually send the very things He commanded right to our door, right down the parade route.

What is it you love about God in this time of your life?  What is it about Noah's life that speaks to you?