Tip of My Iceberg

They borrowed an RV and headed out to previously unknown places to explore and enjoy. Little Buffalo State Park. Even the name evokes a sense of a fantastic escapade. A family with four adventuresome boys and parents with a willingness to experience the new and different, the six of them set out on an epic camping trip.

There is a bigger picture here, a clearer context. Our son has five sisters. We didn’t grow up camping; my husband’s idea of roughing it was a motel without breakfast. So having four sons of his own feels somewhat redemptive.

They did it all. Fishing, hiking, and cooking every meal over an open fire. They biked, kayaked, and swam. The great outdoors became the focal point of four young adventurers.

And no screens for the entire time they were away. Bliss.

The challenges of going places and doing things can be exhilarating and exciting. Or stir up feelings of caution and uneasiness with the unknown. Fun or fearsome.

When I’m confronted with a change, a new way to do things, or a different place I need to be, my circumstances often inform my attitude. As positive as I tend to be, I don’t always embrace the new with enthusiasm.

Abram was different. During Biblical times, he and his family had come from the land of Ur in Mesopotamia, which today is southern Iraq. His family moved to Haran, which is now found in southeastern Turkey. He was 75 years old at the time, doing well for himself and his extended family, though he had no children.

God had bigger ideas for him.

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.’” Genesis 12:1-3.

This is the man who was 75 years old, well-established in his community, and God said leave, not even being specific about where he should go.

Abram departed, just as God told him to.

Comfort and convenience didn’t sway Abram from obeying God. The promises made to him by the LORD might have sounded outrageous; after all, Abram had no children at the time, and God was promising to make him a great nation.

Abram believed God. Despite his circumstances, despite his age, despite his unanswered questions.

God always keeps His promises. He told Abram:

“‘I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.’ At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, ‘This is My covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.’” Genesis 17:2-5.

Abraham was 100 years old when his son, Isaac, was born, the son of God’s promise. He didn’t live a perfect life, but Abraham had faith in God that He would do what He had promised; he lived with that truth through many years of waiting.

Mark and his family made an adventure out of camping, doing what they hadn’t done, going where they hadn’t been. It was an exciting escapade.

Abraham believed the adventure God had called him to, not knowing when God’s promise would be fulfilled, but confident it would.

Faith can be the motivation to move through the challenge of waiting when we seek God’s answers.

Faith is the beginning of hope; hope helps us persevere.