Passing the Test
I had planned on my writing for today to be something different, but then I read Thursday's readings and thought, "Ok God, I hear you." Now if I can teach my kids to listen to God when they are trying to do things on their own. The reading was from Genesis 22:1-22. Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering on a height that I will point out to you.” God was testing Abraham. He was testing him to see if he would sacrifice his most beloved son. I don't know about you, but I truly feel tested some days especially in regards to my kids.
There are so many things pulling at them and tempting them, and for whatever reason the one true gift that is always available to them (GOD) is not always the one they turn to. I realize this isn't just my kids. It's human nature. They are growing and changing and trying to figure things out on their own, and what their parents have been saying all along can't possibly be right. It wasn’t until I became a parent did I realize that my mom and dad were right about so, so many things. I made a promise to myself as a young parent that I would be different from my parents in one area. I would be present, loving, and generous with my time like they were, but I was going to bring my kids up with a religion and strong faith because I believe that was the number one thing missing from my childhood.
Our kids have things in their lives that we, their parents, cannot fix or even take away for them. My kids have a couple things going on in their lives that I can’t make go away. I can only listen, pray, and guide them with God’s word. I feel blessed that I have the power to show my kids that even through the most difficult of circumstances, we are never alone. God is with us. Thursday's reading got me thinking about God testing Abraham by preparing to sacrifice his only son because that is how much faith he had in God. We must remember that we cannot get through our day to day lives alone. We must continue to remind our children that Our Father wants us to return his love the way he loves us. We must not rely on ourselves but on the Lord and his word. Offer up your hurts and joys to Him because you cannot pass the test of life without Him.
