Defiling Skin Diseases

I guess it's this whole thing (although not a particularly Presbyterian one) to give up something for Lent.  I did it for a while, because I like the idea of sacrifice during a season that's all about sacrifice, and because it's supposed to make you feel purposeful and connected to Jesus.  And then I think I realized that people end up giving up the things they know they shouldn't be doing anyway - like someone who gives up chocolate every year because they have a major sweet tooth and want to lose weight.  That always felt really false to me - I shouldn't be giving up stuff because I wanted to give it up anyway and now Lent is an excuse to kick start a new diet.  I should give something up to get the boon of the fasting experience.  To connect with God's sacrifice, that sort of thing.

I tried in more recent years to ADD something to my life - a devotional, more quiet time, reading the Bible daily.  I'm terrible at those things, so being purposeful about it was a sacrifice in some ways because I had to give up something else to fit them in and because it made me prioritize...

Whatever.  I'm supposed to be telling you stuff that's INTERESTING to you between diaper changes, right?

So I'm trying to do both this year, giving up the caffeine that gets me through the day and adding some time reading the Bible every evening.  I even made it easy on myself by signing up for 'read through the Bible in X number of days' emails from an online Bible website.  It will send verses for the day right to my iPad.  How easy and wonderful for me, RIGHT?

Here's the first verse I got.  No joke.

"Regulations About Defiling Skin Diseases
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.  The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean....."

And it goes on and on for 59 verses about skin disease, followed by those nasty defiling molds.  And then BLEEDING.  There's a reason people don't start reading the Bible in Leviticus, and yet... d'you think this is some sort of test of my resolve?  It certainly hit me right on my sense of humor, because I laughed and laughed as I read all about the horrible defiling... whatevers.