Cream of the Crop- Ch. 16

The Cream of the Crop!

Chapter 16

Well another day at work for Joe and he ends up talking to Jerry during the lunch hour. Jerry brings up the animals again and Joe has had so much going on that he hasn't been able to spend the time that he wants to on that particular subject. So Joe brings up his wife being pregnant, thinking that this might take Jerry off the animal topic for a bit. Jerry says, "Oh, I am sorry to hear that Joe!" Joe is puzzled and was wondering if he heard Jerry correctly or if Jerry heard him correctly. Joe says, "Maybe you missed what I said Jerry, I said..." Jerry jumps in, "I heard you, Joe. This world is already over-populated and another mouth to feed isn't where it's at." Joe is totally thrown off with this new subject now. He mumbles and says, "I am sorry that you feel that way, Jerry but I am super happy that my wife is going to have a baby." Jerry says, "Well, if he grows up and rebels against your authority, you might change your mind, Joe!" Joe isn't comprehending what Jerry is telling him. Why is he so hard against children, and so strong in his fight for the animals?

Joe asks, "Jerry, why does having children bother you so much and yet we need ever so many more animals in your eyes?" Jerry takes it from there. "We have too many people now, Joe. They are starving to death all over the world. Kids are being neglected, abused, ignored and many other things Joe. Parents can't afford to have more so they should practice birth control." Joe says, "Jerry, many times birth control fails so what then?" Jerry tells Joe, "Abortion is a form of birth control and it doesn't fail!" A flash of anger rises within Joe. He quickly submits it to the Lord. The Lord is making it easier to see when he deals with Jerry since he is expecting something negative to happen. Joe says calmly, "Jerry, my wife and I were reading the word yesterday and we saw that God is the one who forms the baby in the womb. He is the Creator of life." Jerry comes back in, "I agree with that, Joe. I have been telling you that he creates the animals too. Remember?" Joe's mind flashes back. Yea, he remembers. "Okay, Jerry so why would you advise abortion for a woman when you agreed that God is creating the baby in the mother's womb?" Jerry shakes his head, "Joe, Joe! Don't you see it yet? God creates the animals too and we are killing them, eating them, and you are justifying that and you are telling me that I can't justify killing unborn babies who can't feel the pain anyway and we are in an overpopulated world. Wake-up Joe! We have to preserve this planet for the future generations. We can't be so selfish as you seem to think, all you are caring about is yourself and your wife. What about the future of our mother, planet earth?" Joe's mind is going back to the time that he got upset with Jerry. He looks at Jerry with a sad, confused look, "I will talk with you later, Jerry!" and walks off. Jerry is smiling and shaking his head wondering, "When is Joe going to wake up!"

Joe goes back to his work station and boy is he confused now. He has to find out about this animal stuff and what makes mankind so different if they are different. He can't seem to remember anywhere in the bible that Jesus died for animals but he knows that he did for people. There must be a difference that he is overlooking. His mind is drifting on and off with this subject the rest of the day. He knows that he needs the answers to these questions and needs them soon. Clyde is still out of town. Joe says, "God give me a peace and help me to be patient and to seek your face for the answers that I need to these questions. I submit the problems to you and I need you to lead me and help me so that I will know what you want me to say. In Jesus' name! Amen!"

Meanwhile back at the house, Cindy is reading the word and she is in the part where Noah comes out of the ark after the world was flooded with water. Cindy gets to Gen 9:3, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." She is thinking as she is reading this, "Well I guess that this partially answers the question that Joe and I have had, Lord! So after the fall, it is recorded that you gave mankind the animals to eat as well as the green herbs. Maybe Joe will welcome some insight into this question that he has had ever since Jerry brought it up." Then Cindy's mind goes to the baby within her and she says, "God, what is the difference with my baby and a cow's or a sheep's baby?" They are flesh and blood too, aren't they?" Cindy starts looking up different words with her concordance such as image, flesh, blood, and others words. She looks up image and it takes her to Gen 1:26 which says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." She is thinking about it, "God made the animals and now he says that he is going to make man in our image! What does that mean God? Do you look like a man? I remember reading somewhere in your word where you said that you are not a man so what are you saying then?"

She looks back down at her bible. She skims some more verses using image. She looks at the one right after that one in verse 27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Cindy now says, "God for this one, it makes me think that you are male and female. I need to see clearer God, much clearer. She keeps looking at verses using image. She is reading verses like Adam bearing a son in his image so she is wondering even more. But as she travels on through the word of God and most of them are dealing with a graven image, or molten image or golden image. Cindy goes into the New Testament next seeking to put this puzzle together. In the gospels, Jesus is talking about Caesar's image on the face of a coin. Once again, she is seeing the same thing surface. So what does God look like? A man/woman? What?

Cindy gets to Romans 1:23 as Joe walks in the door, looking depressed, confused, and tired! "Hi honey" comes out of a meek voice. Cindy says, "Hi Joe, what's wrong?" Joe says, "Oh nothing, I am just tired of not having answers." Cindy looks down at her Bible. "Joe the answers to life are in this book and he will reveal the things that we need to know to us!" Joe says, "Yea, I know! I am just tired, I guess!" He flops down on the couch! "Honey, fix me..." "I know, I know. A glass of tea. I will be right back!" Cindy goes to the kitchen, shaking her head. Joe is looking at the bible. "God, where are you?"