Taking Tests

BIBLICAL POINT OF REFERENCE:

"God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, 'Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he replied. 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.' Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering, set out for the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar. Then he said to his servants: 'Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you.' Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham: 'Father!' he said. 'Yes, son,' he replied. Isaac continued, 'Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?' 'Son,' Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.' Then the two continued going forward. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven, 'Abraham, Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he answered. 'Do not lay your hand on the boy,' said the messenger. 'Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.' As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh; hence people now say, 'On the mountain the LORD will see.' Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: 'I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.'"

~Genesis 22:1-18

This story kind of scares me, to be honest. I can't imagine anyone being willing to sacrifice their own child, but then I have to remember that it would have been done in the name of God. If you didn't read that whole story (you should, it's very interesting), then the basis is that God puts Abraham to the test, and tells him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, in order to see how devoted Abraham is to Him. (Turn's out, Abraham is pretty devoted.) What really strikes me is that God purposely puts Abraham to the test. I doubt that God would ask any of us to kill our children or any other family members today (although, you never know), but He certainly does put us to the test. Every time someone questions our faith, every time something doesn't go our way or something bad happens to us, even small annoyances throughout our day--that is God testing us. That seems a little mean, right? Only on the outside: let's remember that we still have to earn our way to Heaven somehow. You see, God gave us everything we have right now, including His love and mercy. Without that, we would be nothing. It's only right for us to honor Him and be the best versions of ourselves. I know a lot of people don't like taking tests (I'm with you there), and they only get harder the older you get. But then there's God just cheering us on from above, and suddenly we have a reason to pass those tests and join Him. Even when we fail, he makes it okay. My challenge for you ladies is to face the challenges God puts in front of you with grace and love. I'll leave you with this: God wouldn't give you challenges that you couldn't handle. He knows what is best for you, and more importantly, He knows who you are. Don't take that for granted. Your Laughing Sister, Callahan Check out the WHEN LIFE DRAGS YOU DOWN quotes page for more inspiration!