Category: Faith

I just finished reading chapter 22 in Genesis. I think we all know this story: God tested Abraham and asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It struck such a chord with me this morning. For a number of reasons.

One, the author does not touch Abraham’s emotions. He leaves it completely up to the reader’s imagination. As I read through it, I could only imagine what Abraham must have felt. Here God was asking him to sacrifice his son. The son he and his wife had waited and waited for. The son God had promised him great blessings through. Can you imagine how he felt, walking up that mountain?

Two, Abraham’s response. He’s walking up the mountain, and Isaac asks him, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” We don’t know how Abraham is feeling at this point. As a mother, I imagine he is terrified. I imagine he is filled with agony and desperation. But how does he respond? He responds with complete faith. “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

I don’t know about you, but Abraham’s response convicts me.

I started thinking this morning. Besides the obvious (my family), what would be the hardest thing for me to sacrifice? And the answer always came back the same: my writing. If God asked me to bring my writing up on that mountain and sacrifice it, would I do it? I’m praying I would. I’m praying I would respond with faith – just like Abraham. And I think, when I reach that point – the point where I completely trust in God’s provision as a writer just like Abraham completely trusted in God’s provision as a father – that’s when God will pour down His blessings.

Just in case you don’t know the rest of the story… God did provide the lamb. And because Abraham didn’t withold his son, God blessed Abraham’s socks off.

Question to ponder: Is there anything in your life God wants you to bring up to the mountain? How would your life look if you did?removetweetmeme

Can I just say I love mornings? I love them so much, I sometimes consider getting up at 3 AM just to have a longer one. But that’s a little over the top, isn’t it? There is just something about waking up to a new day. The quiet, stillness of the morning shouts of God’s compassion and mercy. I bet if a doctor took my blood pressure in the morning, it would be wonderfully low.

Mornings are quiet. I wake up with no alarm, because I despise alarms. I reach under my bed and grab my Bible and my journal and I meet with God. I lay down all my praises and burdens and struggles and requests and through the process, I feel like a new creation. And after my quiet time, I write. I make tea, I grab a bowl of cereal (unless my husband decides to make me oatmeal with blueberries… yummm), and sit in front of my computer and write. Mornings are a very spiritual time for me. I have no problem being a Godly person in the morning… before the day starts.

But the day always has to start, doesn’t it? And then I just plummet off a cliff. I go from seeking God, to seeking myself. My checklist, my desires, my impatience with others, my way, my feelings, my time…. ugh. I despise selfishness. It is this little mustard seed inside me, waiting to take root and grow and grow until I’m trapped so far inside the branches of it that I can’t look outside myself. Being a mother really changes things. Because I think a lot about Brogan, and what kind of message I’m sending to him. Words mean nothing when our actions don’t back them up. I might tell him not to be selfish, but when he gets older, what will he see in me? A selfish mother? I hope not.

In the writing world, we call our current projects WIP’s, which means “work in progress”. Lately I’ve been contemplating buying a shirt with WIP on the front. I am most definitely a work in progress. I want my mornings to spill over into my days. God has blessed me so abundantly. A family, a home, a church, a job, a hope, a gift and a passion for writing Christian fiction. What kind of servant am I being if I don’t pour out these blessings to others?

My heart’s cry is this: May my life be an offering…

Question to ponder: If you were to wear a sign or a shirt that would identify you in one or two words, what would it say?removetweetmeme