Loosening My Grip

 I've been immersed in studying the life of Abraham for the past few weeks. (He's still Abram in the part I'm reading right now.) I grew up in church and felt very well-versed in all things Abraham...until I started this study. I'm learning so many things that I'm starting to wonder if I ever actually knew anything at all!

As I read through a Matthew Henry commentary, I stumbled upon something I hadn't noticed in its full depth before. He was writing about Genesis 12, where God called Abram to leave his home and venture forth to a land God would show him. 

Matthew said, "He went out, not knowing  whither he went, but knowing Whom he followed and under Whose direction he went...All good people must look upon themselves as strangers and sojourners in this world, and by faith sit loose to it as a strange country while we are here in this present state, we must be journeying and going on still from strength to strength."

As I began to skim through that part of Abram's life, I saw the phrases over and over:

...he departed...

...they set out...

...they came to the land...

...Abram passed through...

...he moved to the hill country...

...Abram journeyed on, still going...

...Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there...

...Abram went up from Egypt...

...he journeyed on...

...Abram moved his tent...

And that was in the day when they had to walk or ride an animal anywhere they wanted to go! No moving companies. No moving trucks. 

I'm also learning Abram had a lot of stuff. He had a lot of people working for him, a lot of animals, and a lot of possessions. So every move meant moving all those people and things. 

What I'm learning, though, on a personal note, is that it's a good thing to hold our life plans loosely. That might mean our jobs or our homes or our possessions. In our neatly-tied-with-a-bow culture we live in, we tell ourselves we need to stay at the same job for our whole career, or live in the same house our entire adult life, or never get rid of anything, because everything holds a memory.

It's not bad to do any of those things...unless God asks you to release them. He has asked this of us quite a bit in the last few years. Leaving our "forever home" in Kokomo to enter ministry. Leaving the cute little Hallmark-esque town to enter a new town with no firm plan in place. 

For me, leaving radio to stay at home. For Ryan, leaving physical therapy to enter ministry. 

We are here now, and we love this place. We love our house and we love the ministry God has entrusted to us. But the wild truth of it is, if God led us to move houses or jobs, we would do it. Our commitment is to Him and to each other. Not to possessions or places. 

Why does God call some to stay and put down deep roots and others to move around often? I don't know! But I do know that regardless of what He asks of us specifically, He does want all of us to loosen our grip on our plans and our possessions. He wants us to be ready to go or change if He asks. And if Abram could do it with allllllll he had in a time where there were noooooo helpful amenities, what's our excuse?