How often do we fabricate stories?
Okay, maybe not entire fabrications, but definite embellishments.
I would venture to assume that we have all added some embellishing to certain stories from time to time. The fish that was larger or the injury that was more serious. History even celebrates these embellished stories, calling them "Tall Tales" for us to retell to our children.
Recently, I was at a friend's house for dinner with Josh. We were all reminiscing about stories of old and thing's we wish we hadn't done as kids.
(okay, we were not remorseful...see I've gone and done it again.)
Josh shared a story about his brother and their Senior prank. Evidently, as the story went, they led a cow up the steps of the overpass that crossed 4 lanes of the street below, located in front of our highschool. This was a funny prank because cows...supposedly will walk up steps, but won't walk down them. The story is already hard to beleive in my mind, logistically I am thinking "Oh please, where did they get a cow? And even if they did acquire one...how did they transport it to the overpass??" But it goes on even further. Because cows don't walk down steps, it remained there all night and into the next day, when pedestrians found themselves face to face with Bessy as they tried to cross over the overpass that morning. AND, because they could not get that darn cow down- the city had to tear down the entire 25 foot tall overpass to retrieve the bovine animal.
It's at this point that I recall secretly in my mind, a certain card game I played as a kid. One where you shout a profanity, that oddly enough, pertains to cows. (you figure it out, it's not really appropriate for me to share) But basically, the word means. "I don't believe you, you embellisher!" I raise an eyebrow at Josh and his story and challenged him, outloud...in front of everybody. (isn't that what a loving wife does?)
In my opinion, the story is obviously a preposterous fabrication. Some sort of Tall Tale or Urban Myth retold. Everyone knows that it takes far longer than a day, for the city government to do anything.
But in honesty...I've done that very thing too-embellished stories. I've gone a little further in stories sometimes, to make them sound "Like a God thing" on a time or two. Not because I was outright lying, but just to give God "a little hand" in helping the listener be that much more convinced that my God is great.
Yet today, I was reminded by God that he does not need "embellishments" His Glory is real, and awesome and completely miraculous- no help from Kasey required.
In Exodus, God speaks to Moses and the Israelites while they are wondering the desert trying to figure out what to eat. His response was not ONLY to send quail...which could have just come "coincidentally" he also does something the Israelites had NEVER seen...He RAINED food down. God gives instructions to the people on how to gather manna, and concludes with
"...Then you will know I am the LORD your God."
This speaks to me that what I embellish, is so incredibly minescule compared to what God is really capable of doing. And often, what I credit God with doing, is not really "his doings" which is probably not pleasing to Him either.
So yeah...which is more miraculous...That God rained down food for the Israelites?
Or that just around the corner they came to an impass where 5 cows waited, to be led down from the steps they were standing on, ready to eat?
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