Observation: Right on the heals of the famine that drove them to Egypt, Abram and Sarai return to the Negeb (southern Israel). And the tide has turned: not only is Abram blessed with tons of livestock and possessions, his son Lot is as well, to the point where "the land could not support the two of them living together." It's fascinating to me that, even at the dawn of humanity, people recognized that the earth's resources need time to recover and it was possible to ruin the very land which gives you life. So Abram and Lot decide to part ways, so that their families can be at peace.
Application: Goodbyes are hard. Change is hard. Sometimes we will stay in a familiar situation, just because it's familiar, even if it becomes unhealthy for everyone involved. I can relate to Abram and Lot, both of them knowing it's time to split up, but wondering who will have the courage to say it.
I appreciate Abram's leadership in this moment, saying the hard thing: that it's time for change. Not only that, but allowing Lot, who is younger and less experienced, to have his pick of the land, so that he can thrive, was a mature decision.
There have been times in my life when I've been in a comfortable place, and yet not growing as I should, or bearing the fruit God needs me to bear for the sake of God's Reign. Saying "goodbye" to comfort and "hello" to challenge and growth is excruciating, and the pain sometimes lasts for years. After Lot settled in....drumroll please....Sodom, I bet he had nights thinking back, saying, "Things weren't perfect with Abram, but I sure wish I could go back to that stability." But his path had moved on from there, and the same God who gave him abundance in the past, walks with him into the future.
Prayer: God, change is hard. Help me bear it, and be there for others who are also grieving what was, so that we can find you in what is, and what is yet to be. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment