Normally when
we travel, whether around the world or down the street, we leave with every
expectation of coming home again to friends and family.
In 2013, a
rather dubious organization advertised that it was recruiting individuals for
an expedition to Mars. These people had to be medically fit and mentally
stable, ready to face a new frontier with unexpected hardships in store. There
was only one catch: Everyone who signed up would be taking a one-way trip. The
prospective Martian colonists were told they would never see friends and family
again.1
Just so you
know, in 2019 the organization went bankrupt.2 Some people believe
it was a scam from the start. What’s important to remember is that there were
actually people who signed on, ready for that one-way journey.
That required a
lot of faith, don’t you think?
Looking
back
According to
Genesis, Abram and Sarai also set out on a journey into the unknown, leaving
behind family and friends forever. That surely required a whole lot of faith.
The story of
Abram and Sarai — who would later be renamed Abraham and Sarah — is not just
about a one-way trip, however. It’s also a journey from curses to blessings.
Right before
this passage, we read about a man named Terah, whose story comes to a dead end.
His son Haran dies, which one imagines was a source of lasting grief. Another
son, Abram, and his wife, Sarai, have no children. Terah takes his family and
sets out from Ur, their homeland, for Canaan, but they stop before arriving
there.
Then God enters
the picture. Despite Haran’s death, Terah’s stalled journey and the barrenness
shared by Abram and Sarai, God’s call provides meaning and identity to the
lives of this aged couple who answer the call. God gives our lives shape and
meaning. God gives Abram and Sarai a mission — if they are willing to go
forward in faith, without any assurances — that their lives will matter.
No question — this
is a turning point for them.
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