Today's Thoughts...

Today’s Thoughts: “When God is going to do something wonderful, [God] always starts with a hardship; when God is going to do something amazing, [God] starts with an impossibility.” (Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith)
 
In some ways, I think both our readings today speak to Anne Lamott’s thoughts about God. The story of Abraham told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, (Gen. 22: 1b-19) has always been an intriguing one. I was thinking this morning of all the parents I have encountered in my life and I would have to stay 99% of them would have found God’s request troubling if not impossible. But as Lamott says, if God is going to do something amazing and or wonderful God starts with hardship and the impossible. It was certainly a hardship for Abraham and maybe if you think about it from a parent’s perspective it was an impossibility. Yet, that is where God started and from Abraham’s faithfulness and trust something wonderful and amazing unfolded.
 
We might look at the Gospel (Matt. 9:1-8) in the same way. Jesus seemly, at least for the scribes, starts with an impossibility, forgiving sins which lead to another impossibility the healing of a paralytic. Yet from these two seemly impossible actions the hardship of sinfulness and a physical disability are taken away, in other words something amazing and wonderful takes place.
 
The key to both of our stories is faith and faithfulness, Abraham’s faith, the paralytic and his friends’ faith and God’s faithfulness. Perhaps as we journey, through this day all parents should give pause to look at their children and realize by having them God has tested your faithfulness, may the hardships and the impossibilities of watching them grow be the very faith and hopefulness of amazement and wonder.
 
Have a great Thursday everyone!