For the past couple weeks, we have been considering the story of Abraham and Sarah found in Genesis 18. They had waited and hoped for a child for years and now they were (they thought) too old, being almost 100. God visits the couple and promises a child despite their age.
Put yourself in the sandals of Sarah and Abraham. What would
you have done if three strangers appeared to you and announced something like
‘you will have a child’? Abraham is astonished, and Sarah chuckles to herself,
seeming to think it’s a joke.
God works in just the right time and right way. We don’t
know why it was the perfect time for Isaac to be born when Sarah was so old. It
certainly is a reminder that God’s work isn’t constrained by appearances or
age. Those of us who have had children may sympathize with Sarah and how difficult
it must have been to bear and care for a child at that age. In Genesis 23:1 we
hear that Sarah lived to be 127, so she was able to see her son grow to
adulthood. (Abraham was 175 when he died.)
There have been times in my life when I thought I was too
old, or young, or not experienced enough to do the work God seemed to be
putting in my path. When I was a young mother, I was asked to teach preschool
Sunday School in the small church we attended. There was no curriculum for that
age, and I felt a little overwhelmed. However, years of reading Bible stories
as a child came to my help. I was able to develop my own curriculum using felt
cutouts and flannel boards. (It was a long time ago.) That small beginning
evolved into teaching and helping write preschool curriculum in a larger church.
Then I was Director of Christian Ed and really felt out of my depth even as I
initiated VBS and ecumenical events. That all eventually led to writing books
and speaking about Bible persons. God was in each step of the way and provided
mentors and helpers along the way.
Everyone has a story like that—of ways and times you have
felt unprepared for what God has in store. It was not the right time for me to
write books and speak to women when I first started teaching Sunday School.
That only came as I matured and walked the faith journey further. I would not
have gotten there if there hadn’t been women and men along the way who
encouraged me.
We don’t hear about the people who encouraged Abraham and Sarah, although in the tribal setting, there would have been many other women to help Sarah with the child. Sarah and Abraham, too, would have been leaders and mentors to the younger women and men in the tribal unit. All worked together for the good of all-- most of the time, although we know that Sarah had her issues with Hagar and Ishmael.
The key to acting in faith is to have a community of support. We are not meant to be alone, so there are always friends and companions to help and give advice. Whether it’s just answering questions or showing a young person how to do woodwork, we can all mentor someone.
Who have been the mentors that helped you progress along the
path God laid out before you? If any are still alive, you might consider saying
‘thank you’.
How can you tell the story of the way(s) God has acted in
your life to encourage others on their journey?
