Archive for March, 2007

Becoming a Blessing

March 9, 2007 · Filed under Bible Passages, Spiritual journey, Spirituality

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Ge 12:1-2, NRSV)

God is calling Abram and Sarai to go to a new place and to become a blessing to the people there. In previous readings, I’ve missed this part. The focus seems to be on the “great nation” part, which doesn’t mean much to me, personally. But the idea of being a blessing is a wonderful idea.

God doesn’t expand on how Abram and Sarai will be a blessing. First things first: pick up and go to the place I will show you. Why? To become a great nation and to be a blessing.

Wikipedia defines “blessing” as the infusion (or bestowing) of something with holiness, divine will, or one’s hopes. So Abram and Sarai are to be infused with holiness and the consciousness of God’s will. This is the gift they bring to the new land.

No matter what I read in the Bible, it always ultimately comes back to the same thing: spend time with God, open yourself up to God, orient yourself to be in harmony with God — and you will be a blessing, you will be love, you will be a Christ-carrier in the world.

I do want to be a blessing in my world. This is my intention for today.

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You’re Never Too Old

March 8, 2007 · Filed under Uncategorized

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Gen 12:1-2, NRSV)

Families are often scattered far and wide in today’s global village. But in Abram’s day, people tended to stay in the same village or tribe as their families. So it was a really big deal for Abram, Sarai and all their entourage to pick up and move to a new land. Imagine doing so at 75!

At their age, Abram and Sarai are probably are enjoying rocking on the porch and playing with the grandkids. I imagine that the last thing they would want is to face such a huge undertaking at this stage of their lives. But God is telling them, “In the world’s view, you might be old and no longer the cutting-edge generation, but in my view, I think you’re just now ready to have the adventure of your lives!”

God’s anti-ageism is very reassuring to me. I turned 50 last year and it’s been really tough to realize I’m not where I should be or where I want to be at this stage of my life. The circumstances of various family illnesses have brought me financially to rock bottom, below the poverty line. My education (PhD) has been derailed and may never be completed. I’ve been eking out a living freelancing at home, in between crises. My life has become very narrow. My social circle has withered away. I’m in a major depression and have felt paralyzed and hopeless for a long time. It’s often felt like my life has passed me bye when I didn’t realize it.

Abram’s story reminds me that God doesn’t see age in physical years, but looks more at our responsiveness, our openness, our passion, our commitment, our readiness, and our spiritual and personal maturity. Is it possible that I, Carmen, still have my greatest adventures ahead of me? God says yes — age is not an impediment.

So what does that mean for me, today?

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