1. Heading to the TARGET: am I focused?
"So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan" (Genesis 12:4)
Abram and Lot both took off, left their homes, took everything they and set out for the land of Canaan. They had a target to reach.. a very obvious one... reaching Canaan...
But later on something strange takes place just a single chapter afterwards:
"Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed togetherNow Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together....
So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company.......
Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom." (Genesis 13:5-12)
The story ended up having Abram at the target distenation.... while Lot DELEBRATELY choose a different thing than the target... and lived among other cities..
Now, why is that?
a) It could be that Lot was like ALOT of us these days... just following the herd. Abram was leaving and taking his family with him. So, Lot said: "why not join them.. what would I lose... I'll be following what God said as well"! and I guess that is the attitude of most christians nowadays: Just following the Herd. I go to church, following the herd... I fast, following the herd... I attend masses, following the herd. But deep inside, I will choose a different thing if I'm given the choice.
b) It could be that Lot was really determined to follow God and to go to Canaan. But when tempted with the choice, he chose what he thought is better. And again, alot of us do that! we pray and say: "God, I want to follow you all my days, I will want nothing that you don't want" but at the first temptation, we delebrately choose something different than what God says is the best for us!
2. Does my INTERNAL PEACE go away as soon as I get it?
It happened after the famouse story of Isaac and Abraham being tested... a strange paragraph that I didn't find a use for it was mentioned right after the story:
"Some time later Abraham was told, "Milcah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel." Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham's brother Nahor. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah." (Genesis 22: 20-24)
I imagine Abraham was at the happiest zone after all what God did to him: giving him Isaac, keeping him safe for him, giving him the promise of prosperity and blessings.... nothing that makes him less than HAPPY....
But satan didn't want this to last, so.. he sent people to tell Abraham: you know what, your brother Nahor whom you left back at your father's home, the one who didn't follow God as much as you, and didn't bother himself even to go out with you... this guy has not only 8 sons, but also grandsones too!!! see, what you have is nothing much to feel grateful for!
I guess most of us are put in the same situation ALOT... when we're at the peak of happiness and gratitude to God, comes something that breaks us down, and brings us to a worse case....
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