Exactly as God Commanded

In the years following the escape from Egyptian enslavement, the Israelites often didn't perform even close to how God said. They surely didn't have a track record of doing things exactly God's way. The scriptures preceding Exodus 39:43 are a notable exception. They list the myriad of details for the creation of the Tabernacle, its contents, the priestly garments, etc. At the completion of that long list, The Message states: "They had done all the work and done it exactly as God had commanded."

I'm not sure that I've ever done even any short list of to do's precisely as anyone had ever wanted...not myself, my parents, my wife, my bosses, and certainly not my God. No matter how hard I try, I never  seem to do anything perfectly, at least not the first time.

I'm blessed with a loving and forgiving wife. Especially in these latter days (or daze) of our 49-year marriage, she has agreed to grant me/us second chances. We call them do-overs. They are rather like mulligans I used to get or take in my golfing days (again perhaps daze is a better rendering based on my play of that frustrating game).

photo by tsg pixels on unsplash.com

When a do-over is granted in our marriage, we both agree graciously to start again. We immediately erase whatever was said or done in the previous minutes that led to the messiness of the moment. Thank you, Lord, for patience; and thank you for second chances. I would like to buy stock in Do-Overs, Inc. That would be better than sliced bread...and more useful, too.