Abraham's Shoes

What are the splurges in life that bring you comfort? Is it your favorite chair? A cup of coffee? A good piece of dark chocolate? For me, it is mac n' cheese if I have been sick. A yummy truffle is always a special treat. I love fresh cut flowers for no reason. Anything pumpkin flavored blesses me and one of my absolute favorites is clean sheets. For most, I would guess it doesn't take something too big to put a smile on our face.

However, when it comes to our comfort zone....now that is a different story. For most of us, I would guess again that it doesn't take something too big to push us out of what is easy, familiar, comfortable. My daughter Abby makes it very clear when she is out of her comfort zone. She Grrrrrr's. As a teenage girl, if she doesn't like that she has to change her clothes before leaving the house then she will Grrrrrrr. If she doesn't like the way her brother is acting, she will Grrrrrrr. I will gladly take her Grrrrr's over how other teens often act, but it is an obvious indication that she does not like the situation at hand.

I have been studying Abraham in the Bible and the one thing that has jumped out at me, is that he had to step out of his comfort zone many times. Abraham was a wealthy man from the city of Ur. Ur was his familiar territory. It was where he had been raised, the culture that had shaped him, the attitudes he had adopted and the religion he had followed. He probably didn't know anything else. Ur was a habit. Yet, when God called Abraham out of that comfort zone, He obeyed. You see, God was going to bless Abraham but the deal was he had to do what God wanted him to do and that meant leaving Ur (home). I bet for a very brief moment, the thought of leaving Ur, tempted him to respond like my Abby......GUrrrrr.

But the Bible says in Genesis Chapter 12:4 "So Abraham (Abram) left, as the Lord had told him." That's obedience! Now think about this. Abraham was no spring chicken at the time. The Bible records he was seventy-five years old. That is a lot of time to get set in your ways and nestled into your comfort zone. Abraham took his wife, Sarah and set out on a journey. The journey was not an easy one. God's blessings are not the same as wealth, health, and a problem free life. There is a blessing of peace, power, provision and pleasure with God calling the shots.

If I think about being in Abraham's shoes, I think he could have been a great spokesman for Nike. "Just Do It". He did and his journey just kept demanding obedience. God promised Abraham a son and he was 100 years old when he and Sarah had Isaac. I feel worn out at times parenting at 43 years old. Can you imagine 100 years old? And then came an even bigger challenge. God tested Abraham and asked him to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering. Early the next morning Abraham set out to just do it. Can you imagine his daddy heart? Can you imagine God's heart when he saw Abraham's obedience? He tested Abraham to see if he was willing. In the end, Abraham's son was spared.

What is your familiar territory? Do you know you are missing something? Are you too comfortable? Maybe you are somewhere in between restless and willing. Abraham lost his peace at times when he took matters into his own hands. Trying to fit our plans into the same plan that God has for us just equals compromise. Why do we settle for anything less than the fullness of what God has for us?

When it comes to our steps of obedience, we don't need to choose flip flops. We need to put on some Nikes and JUST DO IT!