Father Abraham.

I heard something a long time ago and have been thinking about it a lot lately. A man was talking about Abraham in the Bible, and the story where God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Isaac was of course Abraham's only son...and the child that he waited for for so many years - God's promise fulfilled. We see in the story that God does not actually allow Abraham to sacrifice his son...He provides a ram at the last minute to sacrifice instead. I have always seen this as a test - God tested Abraham to see if he was willing to obey no matter what. But, here's what really hit me about what this particular teacher said: Abraham was being asked by God not only to sacrifice his son but his IDENTITY AS A FATHER. He wanted to be a father for so many years and by sacrificing Isaac he would sacrifice that dream; the hope of having descendants that outnumber the stars in the sky.

Maybe the point of this story is not just that we are willing to obey God; but more so, are we willing to sacrifice our very identity for Him?? The one thing that we have always wanted; that we have dreamed about and hoped for? Is God more important to us than that? He has to be number one...what we desire about ALL ELSE...even if what we desire is 'good' by the world's standards. The desire to be a parent or a spouse or to have a great job or even to do missions across the world are not bad desires...but God must come before those things in our hearts. We cannot let those things identify who we are. We must be children of God; servants of God first.

"Offer God an UNDIVIDED heart." - Beth Moore

I believe God is faithful; and that he will provide that ram for us in our lives. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that God wants us to be unhappy. But it does say, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind." I'm such a dreamer and I am often guilty of allowing my hopes and dreams to consume my thoughts and become first priority in my heart and life. My desire for a husband; for a little house and sweet babies must MUST be secondary. This is a constant struggle for me. I know that Christ is enough; that He is sufficient...but I have this underlying desire for other things. My heart knows He is enough...but I live my life in search of something more. I think this is why Scripture tells us we must die to ourselves DAILY.

And we know that God will provide exactly what we need exactly when we need it. It's really about trust isn't it? We must trust that He knows what is best for us. "He has made everything beautiful in HIS TIME." -Ecclesiastes 3:11a

Just something that's been on my mind.

In other news: Here is my bee costume!

Haha...I'm so in love with cotumes...and that is my first carved pumpkin ever! Crazy huh? I thought it was difficult. I have no idea why all my words are underlined right now. I'm going to stop typing now because it's annoying...oh technology. I do not always love you. :)))