The Cliffs of Abraham

I am making another, certain to fail, attempt at reading through the Bible cover to cover. I’m only in Genesis 21 and will probably stop right after the New Year. It’s trendy to do that, and I’m nothing if not trendy.

I read a verse tonight that made me stop and go back again.

“And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

God had just done the ridiculous and improbable miracle of blessing Sarah with a son even though she couldn’t have kids and was 90 years old. It was so crazy that she laughed and realized that everyone who heard about it would laugh as well.

There have been a few times in my life when I hear stories of God doing things and all you can do is laugh because it’s impossible that it could be true and yet you know that it is and it’s all wonderfully hilarious. I want a life like Abraham and Sarah. A life of faith in God that He is who He says He is and that He will keep His Word no matter how impossible things appear to our limited faculties.

Jumping off into authentic faith is super scary. I am so used to running my own life and giving the Creator the scraps, the things I don’t really care about. “Lord, you can have this little area but stay away from my secret closet full of skeletons and my possessions and my future plans and…the list goes on. I’ll handle those.”

No more. Take it all Lord (and use force when necessary). Make me laugh.

An easy yoke and a light burden that will cost me my life? In some mystical and foreign way it makes sense.