Jason's job involves a lot of traveling in the company car. Yesterday, he stopped by Jiffy Lube to have his oil changed. Now, most waiting rooms I've been in have their TV set to CNN (or some other continuous news program), but this particular one was set to the History Channel. And the program of choice for Jason's viewing pleasure was all about torture . . . & as we all know, torture was & still is (in some countries) a favorite way for many rulers to try to silence the message of Christianity. So, last night, on the way home from church, he educated me about the different forms of torture. He told me about the Iron Maiden ~ a person-shaped casket, made of iron, & lined with spikes. But what was so notable (& horrible) about the Iron Maiden was that all of the spikes were strategically placed so as to inflict the most pain without actually killing the person trapped inside (such as spikes through the eyeballs, etc.). Then I learned about the bronze bull that a person would be placed in & as the bull was heated by a fire underneath, the person inside would be cooked alive. There would be an opening in the mouth of the bull because the screams coming from inside would give the illusion that the bull was bellowing. Jason also informed me that during the Spanish Inquisition, it was very popular for religious "criminals" to have to watch someone else being tortured, knowing that they themselves would be next. And this is how the rest of our conversation went:
Me ~ No, what would be worse would be one of us having to watch the other be tortured.
Jason ~ No, what would be worse would be like those Christians in the old days . . . if the parent didn't recant, their child would be tortured.
And then my heart just fell into the pit of my stomach. Here I am, whining & complaining that I'm giving up my house . . . all for the cause of Christ. Gee, how noble of me. I'm giving up my house . . . not because my family is being run out of town for claiming the name of Christ, but because He has something else, something better, in mind for us. I'm giving up 4 walls, 1 roof, warm nights, & fond memories for 4 different walls, 1 different roof, the same warm nights, & more fond memories. My children are loved & safe, & will continue to eat healthy, play hard, & be tucked in between their flannel sheets with the snowmen on them at the end of a long, fabulously fun day . . . with no thought about pain, torture, or death.
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."
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