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Seven days, just 7 days, is what God asks of us to have no leaven or leavening agents in our dwellings, amongst our possessions, or within our property boundaries, and to keep it that way while we focus on consuming unleavened bread to the exclusion of leavened products during the Days of Unleavened Bread (DOUB). Surely this is not too difficult for us to do? One would think it would be "a piece of cake" as it were -- with no yeast or bicarbonate of soda in the mix, of course! Well, each year we have various tests and trials to deal with and this year has been no exception. How was your DOUB season? Perhaps I can share with you something about mine. Our respective experiences are interesting and if we are happy to share these accounts with others then we can all learn and grow together through empathy and edification as a spiritual family should.
After getting off to a good start with plenty of self examination, fasting, and in-depth prayers, the deleavening process then occurred with a different type of physical experience this time, the consequences of which clearly advised that next year's preparations should be approached more considerately at a slower pace to assist with being kind to ageing bones that need to remain intact and functional on the skeletal frame. My heart and mind told me two different things and we know our hearts want to fool us at the best of times (Jeremiah 17:9). The brain wisely and realistically considered that 2-3 days was probably not enough time to tackle both the house and the car, but as usual I think I can do much more than physically capable of and with no thoughts that tiredness, let alone exhaustion, could potentially be an issue, we launched into the process of deleavening. Thankfully we do not have a shed and it is at this time of year that confirmation of owning just one vehicle is a blessing. One year I admit to having the family car professionally cleaned and detailed but since then felt as though this was cheating by paying somebody else to get rid of my mess as sin is messy, really messy, causing disruption, pain, and trouble -- big trouble. The conclusion drawn was that money is not the answer but time and effort put in is the solution.
Remembering the first time I kept these holy days back in 2007 I took the whole week off from work so I could really focus on what these days meant and it was exactly what I needed to do. The horror and despair felt while sobbing on the way home after attending the Passover service when, for the first time in my life, the powerful realisation hit me that I was actually responsible for Christ's death just as much as all those who were physically present, was a huge and bitter pill to swallow, yet once again this medicine was exactly what I needed. My closest and dearest girlfriend visited a couple of days later and brought along with her a packet of biscuits to share. Being so focussed on her delightful company and conversation while we sipped our tea and coffee, we also munched on some of those biscuits she had so thoughtfully brought. It wasn't until she had left that I then thought to pull the wrapper out of the bin to see IF any leavening was present. Of course there was as I stood there horrified and shocked at what I had just done -- the very thing I was not meant to and did not want to do -- sound familiar? God forgave me of course upon repentance knowing it was not intentional but truly an accident. So grateful that God knows our hearts and intentions as Proverbs 21:2 reveals.
Then there was the year a couple of us, myself included, brought along some hot roasted chickens to share as part of our potluck meal offering. The only problem was there was stuffing inside the chooks which somebody else had to point out to us and did so in a tactfully discreet and loving manner for which we were very grateful, as we hadn't even thought about that. We felt awkward and bad for appearing to have not considered this, but once again it was not intentional and God forgave us as we had a repentant attitude and knew we would not make the same mistake again. As a matter of fact just today we have roasted three organic free range chickens from Inglewood to share tomorrow on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. There is definitely no stuffing inside the hens as they were checked and examined carefully before placing in the oven. The memories are there to draw from as we all have our learning from these lessons to consider. Now, all these years later, I can smile about it but years ago I felt dreadful for seeming to be absent minded.
One year I decided to put the toaster in the wheelie bin off the premises for the garbos to collect as I couldn't get all the crumbs out no matter how hard I tried so I gave up and felt like I had won the battle by banishing the white workhorse to the dump. It was getting on the old side anyway. However, as I told the Pastor's wife what I had done in response to her enquiry about how my deleavening had gone, she laughed and said to retrieve it as it is alright and it would be a bit of a waste especially as it still worked. I learned that as long as we put in our best efforts then that is fine because we cannot physically ever remove all the leavening anyway. The silly things we do. Imagine God watching all of us deleavening each year and what we get up to including the methods we use. It would be rather funny to see. Since then we have purchased another toaster and upgraded from a two slice to a four slice unit which means more deleavening but I hardly ever have toast anymore and I'm not sure if this is psychologically linked to avoiding more work.
So, regarding this year, the series of upsets started on the third day. We had a lovely outing planned to go to a restaurant for lunch after viewing the gorgeous countryside around Hahndorf in the Adelaide hills as the trees are shedding their leaves in this autumnal season with many showcasing colours of gold, pink, red, amber, orange, and brown. All set for a relaxing time we went to pick up an unconverted member of our physical family whom we both love dearly and get to see on a regular basis and hope to give a good example to when in our presence. There have been times when the going gets really tough as God needs to come first and compromise should never be an option. This can get very tricky especially when the devil influences others to get to us by any means in order for us to sin and be separated from God. When this occurs it can be very subtle however this time I was not prepared even though I thought I was, but my focus was on what I put in my mouth as all that really mattered. This is where I made the first mistake.
Because we had not gone out to a restaurant together during these holy days previously it was a new experience. All was fine while at the restaurant as we were focussed on choosing clean fish and salads -- no danger there. But, the desserts that were chosen by our family member were both full of, you guessed it, leavening in the chocolate brownie cookie and the cake. It was their choice as we all have free will but these should have been consumed at the restaurant rather than boxed up to take away as the person concerned said they wanted to eat them later on. The proviso was that they could not be consumed in our home and an agreement was made. We were clear about not having them at our place but this went by the wayside as if not spoken or remembered. Stated cautions fell on deaf ears as they thought if they did not drop a crumb all was well. Suffice to say that I was very angry with myself as it is my responsibility and trusted that this individual would respect our requests, but no. Doesn't God say not to trust any person? (Psalm 118:8). It was at these distressing moments that I could see with crystal clarity that Eve did not stand a chance by herself in that Garden of Eden. If only she had thought to ask or consult with God instead of falling into the trap of listening to persuasive lies from the devil who completely blindsided her with his evil machinations. Epic fail on my part which required further repentance. Lesson learned that it would be best not to go out for any meals with unconverted family or friends in the future during the DOUB season and instead we could do this before or after this holy day season in order to prevent problems. The deciduous trees will still look stunningly beautiful and we can all eat together knowing food can be taken home without issue.
Another epic fail which I believe was repeated over a few years (but not this time) was not thinking to remove the vacuum cleaning bag from the vacuum cleaner which would have contained quite a few crumbs from bread, toast, cake and biscuits as a couple of people here enjoy these on a regular basis. It just never occurred to me that all the junk that had been sucked up via the steel tubing needed to be expelled into the dustbin. Once again, repentance required and forgiveness received from our most loving Heavenly Father as He knows it was an oversight. All these things cause us to think and use our grey matter in order to get it right.
There have been some other issues too this year and these have come surprisingly out of nowhere. It did really seem to me that my headspace went on a roller coaster ride with extremes of peace, joy and contentment followed by interspersed periods of drama and just as I was getting over each episode then another would follow requiring immediate repentance. Is this normal to have so many lessons this year when logic dictates that things should be well in hand by now? Each year there has been only one thing to focus on whereas this year there have been many. God must have been very patient and longsuffering with me especially with the vacuum cleaning bag incidents. Perhaps there is growth and God knows we can cope with more in line with testing and trying us to see what is truly in our hearts. No wonder God warned His people not to mix with other cultures as their paganistic ways will pollute ours. In future I will expect the unexpected as all is not as it seems with pagans oblivious to the danger of sin as they are so steeped in worldly ways. How soon they forget how they once kept these Days of Unleavened Bread just like the Israelites who went before them. And thank God for His endless merciful love for His children!