Honesty is the best policy!
In preparing for this reflection, the first few times that I read this passage, I searched for the positive; in fact, that was all that I looked for. There are some obviously positive aspects of the passage, we could look at the life-changing promises of God, and how it is never too late for God to bless you.
But (you knew one was coming), I cannot help but feel some sympathy for Ishmael in this story. He is an innocent child, and it appears that because he is not born of Sarah and Abraham, God will not allow him to keep the covenant. Instead Isaac, who is not yet born, will eventually keep the covenant.
That to me does not seem at all fair. The text also raises questions for me about Sarah’s role in God’s plan. She does not get a say either, although God promises to bless her with a child. Well, we know that she wanted one when she was younger, but does she really want one at ninety?! Even Abraham laughs.
How then do we deal with the Bible when it challenges us? My first instinct was to try and skip over this and write the more upbeat reflection, but is life upbeat all the time? Mine certainly isn’t. There have been times when it feels unfair and unjust – does that mean though that we are to give up on God or on our Christianity?
Absolutely not! Sometimes we just have to be honest with what we struggle to understand or feel comfortable with and bring it to God.
The most solid relationships in my life are the ones with people that have been there through the hard times; through the times where we just cannot make sense of anything. Sometimes it is not about solving the issue, just about being honest with it.
After all the hours spent trying to make this reflection ‘work’, what I came to is honesty, it is ok to be honest with the Bible, perhaps we should be more but knowing that this wrestling can actually strengthen our relationship with God.
|