I'm Building an Ark

Noah still has to be one of my favourite characters in the Bible.  This month in our Answers magazine that we receive every few months, there was a huge focus on Noah and the ark because of the new exhibit at the Creation Museum.  They built a life-size ark in Kentucky, which we hope to see one day.  It sounds incredible.  Many of the articles in the magazine had to do with the workings out of how Noah could have possibly accomplished this.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect.  I have 7 more kids to graduate from school and quite frankly, it feels like I'm building an ark.  One of my sisters, who is homeschooling as well has just one in her "school" this year.  I looked at her with my eyes wide open, "One?!" I envied.  It can be quite overwhelming at times, especially because my oldest boy is in his last year and is looking to get into university.  That means some serious planning, some serious getting down to work, some serious navigation of credits, transcripts....blah, blah, blah....it's enough to make my head explode.  This is where I want to be one of those amazing moms who is super-dee-dooper organized and loves record keeping and takes it on as a challenge that she loooooves!  Fortunately, I have a husband who is good at this and is helping me and I am a great encourager, so between the two of us, hopefully we'll get this kid into a school somewhere!

Back to Noah.  In one of the articles in the magazine, it went through some big questions people have had over the years, such as, "Did Noah have the technology?"  "Did Noah have the manpower?" "Did Noah have the time?" My favourite question was, "Did Noah have the abilities and the resources?" That question jumped out at me as both my son and myself have struggled this week with who we are, our abilities and our seeming lack of rescources.  We are very similarly created beings.  We love people, talking, "winging it", and having fun.  We aren't particularly technologically-minded or organized by nature.  Yet this week, he had to navigate all sorts of technology which revealed he didn't know as much as he should if he's going to be in a higher form of education.  His sister has always done it for him or his dad.  This week he was on his own and he didn't like it.  Oh well.  Talk about jumping in and sinking or swimming, but it was good for him and he got through it.

But it created a little panic in me.  What if he can't make it?  What if he can't do it?  Oh no!!!  Yet he is so clearly gifted in the sciences and in particular biology.  He loves plants, animals, and bugs.  He knows everything about everything when it comes to any one of those subjects.  He boggles our mind with his knowledge of fish.  He keeps our aquariums going as if he is a marine biologist.  All from reading and extensive self-study since he was a young boy.  He is going to be either a vet or a researcher or something to do with animals, that is clear.  But, he has to know how to use a computer!!!!!  That is not his passion.  He'd rather have a root canal or, as my husband says, "I'd rather have my legs waxed."

This was when I read the article on Noah, "Did Noah have the abilities and resources?"  The article said it so well, "The simple answer to this question is found in Genesis 6:22.  'Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.'"  I was no longer afraid.  First of all I always repeat my new life phrase to myelf, "No fear, no panic, no dread," and then I stopped and realized Noah was simply obedient.  God told him what to do.  Noah obeyed.  God must have given him the abilities.  I think it is that simple.  If God is calling my son to higher education, then he and I must not panic.  God will give him the abilities, the know-how, even the computer skills necessary.

The article went on and said, "The Lord often calls people whom He has already equipped to perform a task..." My son is clearly gifted in the biological sciences.  If he is being called to this area of study, then he will be further equipped at the necessary time.  If Noah wasn't equipped or an expert in shipbuilding, the article also said, "...he had plenty of time to learn the necessary skills."  This is true of my son as well.  Even, if for some reason, he isn't fully equipped to take on more schooling, there is still time to learn what he needs to.

What about the resources that my son needs to study?  It will take money, more technology than we have now, and who knows what else?!  The article again confirmed Noah, too, may have had that problem, yet, "Noah's task required vast resources to complete, and we can be confident (italics mine!) that God would have made these accessible to him in some way."  Ok.  I have to just rest.  If God is in this, then He will make the resources available, somehow.

Because the Bible doesn't make it clear about all the details in the planning of feeding the animals or storing their food, we can only assume that God left some of that up to Noah.  With God's wisdom he did it as we are here today and the animals survived the year long voyage!  The article continued, "Much is implied in the words, 'Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him" (Genesis 7:5).  His job was to obey God and trust Him to supply what He lacked, including wisdom to build a sturdy ship and finish the project on schedule." (italics mine again!)  That's it!  I lack and my son lack's certain skills I think are essential to life, but I must simply obey, he must simply obey.  I see my son reading his Bible in the morning and because of that, I know he'll be ok.  He is asking God for wisdom.  I see it in his life, I hear it in his prayers.  Both he and I must trust God to supply what we lack and to give us the necessary wisdom to "finish our project on schedule".  Oddly enough, it will be a year's journey, too, if he is to go somewhere next fall.  That would be the schedule if we were to "regular folk" and go right after high school.

The article finished with a fictional paragraph where Noah and his fictional wife, Emzara, stood in the finished ark. Emzara asked him, "When do we start loading?"  Noah shrugged, "Soon, I guess. The Creator brought all of these animals here.  I trust that He'll tell us when the next stage begins."  I, too, wonder what is next, when will we know what to do?  But He's brought me this far.  And, like one of my favourite songs says, "He will make a way."  He will show me what to do next and when to do it.  I just have to relax!  I have to trust.  My ark will get built eventually.  My son's ark will also get built.  It's like we both have our own ark's to build.  I'm sure Noah must have wondered how in the world, literally, his ark would get done, and yet it did.  It took a long time to build, but it got done! So, I do have a few more in school, eventually all 8 will graduate, Lord willing, but not with my own strength.  I'm leaning on God.  My son is leaning on God and according to the article, that is enough to finish an ark.