Ahhhh...my favorite time of night. Been to work and come home, threw laundry in, ate dinner, drove Andy to work, came home, showered, and am now watching a movie.

Lately I've been reading Numbers, and I cannot help but notice the number of times the Israelites complain. The first example is in 11:1-2: The people soon began to complain to the Lord about their hardships; and when the Lord heard them, His anger blazed against them. Fire from the Lord raged among them and destroyed the outskirts of the camp. The people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord,, the fire stopped." And just a few verses down, in verse 4-6 "Then the foreign rabble who were travelling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt, and the people of Israel also began to complain. 'Oh, for some meat!' they exclaimed. 'We remember all the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic that we wanted. But now our appetites are gone, and day after day we have nothing to eat but this manna!" (They conveniently forgot that they were slaves in Egypt, and I have my suspicions that they didn't really eat as well as they claim here.)
Unfortunately the complaining spread to Moses. "Why are you treating me, your servant, so miserably? What did I do to deserve the burden of a people like this? Are they my children? Am I their father? ....verse 11-12a. (He complains for a little bit more.) And somehow, somehow, the Lord does not do what they deserve, He does not destroy them. The Lord does the same for us. I think we might be a lot like the Israelites. I'm just surprised that God doesn't say to us, "Don't make me turn this car around!" when we keep asking him "Are we there yet?" The Israelites obviously didn't know God that well, because they never would have complained they way they did. I'm not there yet, but I want to know God so well, and be so close to Him, that I'll stop complaining, "Are we there yet? I have to go the bathroom! Oh for a day off! Why do I have to stay late tonight?"