God based the Ten Commandments...
Illustration
God based the Ten Commandments on love shown in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Maggie Rigsbee also based her rules on love. Rigsbee was a 78-year-old widow in Clyde Edgerton's book, Walking Across Egypt, who by her own admission was "slowing down." One day as she sat down to watch her soap opera, the bottom of her chair gave out and Maggie was trapped in the chair until the dog catcher came by. In her appreciation, she invited the dogcatcher to come by for a meal, which he accepted. Over the course of the meal, he told Maggie about his nephew Wesley Beafield, who was abandoned by his parents and now was in a local juvenile facility.
At church on Sunday, the pastor chose to speak about "the least of these" and Maggie's thoughts went immediately to Wesley. That very afternoon she visited Wesley at the facility and took him some pound cake. Sometime later, Wesley escaped and made his way to Maggie's with the intention of stealing money. But Maggie's love reached out to Wesley and he lingered, telling Maggie that he was on leave and his folks were out of town. His hot fingers stole a pen and pencil set, to which Maggie said, "If you are going to stay here, you must abide by the rules." Several times throughout the book, Maggie expresses those words, or implies them in her prayers. What Wesley hears, though, is Maggie's love, and when he is finally caught he says, "If I do have a grandma, I hope she is just like you."
God gave the commandments, but what shines through God's words from first to last is a deep love for us.
At church on Sunday, the pastor chose to speak about "the least of these" and Maggie's thoughts went immediately to Wesley. That very afternoon she visited Wesley at the facility and took him some pound cake. Sometime later, Wesley escaped and made his way to Maggie's with the intention of stealing money. But Maggie's love reached out to Wesley and he lingered, telling Maggie that he was on leave and his folks were out of town. His hot fingers stole a pen and pencil set, to which Maggie said, "If you are going to stay here, you must abide by the rules." Several times throughout the book, Maggie expresses those words, or implies them in her prayers. What Wesley hears, though, is Maggie's love, and when he is finally caught he says, "If I do have a grandma, I hope she is just like you."
God gave the commandments, but what shines through God's words from first to last is a deep love for us.
