One of the earliest memories I have is captured in an old black and white photo. It is of one my cousins and myself stark naked playing in a round galvanized tub of water...looking at the picture, one can hear the giggles and laughter, the splashing of water, the running on the grass, the "here, standstill, let me take your picture" comment from the parent...a moment caught in time...such fun, joy of childhood...
One of my husband's first geology jobs after we were married was way out in the mountains near the Blackrock desert in Nevada...our only company was a band of wild horses who came into out camp for water...we lived in a 16 foot travel trailer on an old cabin site which had an artesian well bubbling out the earth, no power, a makeshift outhouse under an ancient partially dead Apple tree... My husband would do geology by day as I wondered around the mountains with him..or leave him in one spot and pick him up in another...the company gave us an old Scout to drive around it ( we never aspired to own one again), but it got us from pace to place covered with road dust boiling up through the floor...
All this to say, our "bathtubs" were two round galvanized tubs which we let fill during the day from the well...the sun would warm the water all day while we were gone, the horses drank from them as well, but what a luxury to have them to wash in at night... We were out there in our birthday suits as well, enjoying the cleaning, refreshing water after a long dusty day wandering the mountains...no one within 50 miles...
I was reminded of these pictures in time as my youngest grandson was captured playing in his galvanized tub at his home this week in the summer heat...you can hear his laughter in the smile he has on his face...what fun...what memories ....
It brought to mind Naaman in 2 Kings...a man inflicted with leprosy...told to go and dip in the river...he didn't want to ...and almost missed the blessing of the healing he wanted so desperately...he wanted a "mighty" show rather than a simple dunking...
But, God, doesn't have to do "mighty" signs to do his work...He can speak the word, and it is done...just like we didn't have to have an elaborate pool or bathtubs to enjoy...simple, usable, accessible for our our dunkings in the water...we were made just as clean and just as blessed by the provision...
God used the river to show His power in healing, brought a man and who knows how many to Himself through Naaman's testimony...freely given ...
Thank YOU for your provision, lessons....simple obedience in small galvanized tubs of water or a small river dunking....
2 Kings 5:1-19 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram.
He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.
The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God?
Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.
Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.
Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?”
So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.
So please accept a gift from your servant.”
The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.”
And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.
But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
"Go in peace,” Elisha said.
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