Life Lessons from Biblical Parents: Abram and Sarai

Genesis 12:6-7- And Abram passed through the land as far as Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendents I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.

As you remember, I am going through the Bible looking at the passages I read to see what God has to say about marriage, children, and our family relationships.  Sometimes the lessons are more obvious than others.  It is amazing how relevant God's Word is to us at the different stages of our lives.  Some of these passages I read and learned from as a single.  When I got married, I learned totally new lessons from them. Once I became a mother, the lessons changed, but the passages didnt.  Just an everyday reminder of how alive God's Word is.

As I read verses 4- 9, the two verses above stood out to me the most.  Here is a little glimpse into how my mind works.  As I read verse 6, "And Abram passed through the land as far as Shechem..." the following thoughts ran through my head. Hmmm... Shechem.  That is where Jacob and his family stopped for a while.  Isn't it neat that Jacob passed by a spot that his grandfather had passed many years before?  I wonder if there was anyone there who remembered Abram and his family.  Who knew that years later Abram's great-granddaughter would be taken advantage of and then his great-grandsons would attack the city and kill all of the men to avenge their sister? Wow, we really need to leave a good name and reputation for ourselves everywhere we pass through because we never know who in our lineage will pass through where we have been...

And that is what stood out to me the most.  If our children and grandchildren follow the path that God plans for them, sometimes, it may lead them to cross paths where we have been.  When they get there, will they be proud of the footprints that we left behind, the impressions that we have made, or will they not want to be associated with our name? Will my footprints even be there?  Will they want to put their feet in our footprints to follow the example we left, or will they put their feet in our footprints to change the impressions there?

When my children and grandchildren cross paths with where I have been, I want them to be proud.  That means that I need to live a life that does not follow my wants and desires but that follows what God wants of me.  I need to follow the standards that are laid out in Scripture.  I need to live a life that is above reproach.  Then, my footprints will be laid in stone instead of in sand that the winds of time can blow away.