Life Lessons from Biblical Wives: Abram and Sarai

"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you will be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.'" Genesis 12: 1-3

This is a passage that has really spoken to me in the past few months. It is one that I have always had a hard time wrapping my mind around because I have always tended to be very loyal to my family. However, it is one that I wish I had put into practice from the moment I said, "I do".

In this passage, God is telling Abram to leave his family group (the typical family of the time which included the patriarch and his wife (wives), married children, and grandchildren) with his wife to become a separate family unit. This took an act of faith on Abram's part because it was generally unheard of to leave your family group. The group assisted in the safety, survival, and economy of the entire family.

As wives/women, staying deeply connected to our original family (depending on the type of family you came from) may seem normal, natural, and safe. However, God said in Genesis 2:24 that "For this cause (marriage) a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." God intends for us to leave our old family group to become a new family unit.


Please don't misunderstand me. Families are important. We need to love them, honor them, and stay connected with them, but the ties or apron strings need to be cut. We are still family but the relationship completely changes in nature and status. Our husband becomes our leader, spiritually and of our home. Our parent's role in our lives changes, as well. They are now wise counselors who we go to when we need godly advise, but the final decision is ours.

Although treading the waters of marriage away from our parents who we grew up with and felt safe with may seem scary at first, by taking this step of faith, we are opening ourselves up for God's blessings. God has brought us the husband that each of us needs to journey through life away from our original families. He has given us children who view us the way we used to view our parents. If we ask Him, He has promised to give us the wisdom that we need to navigate through life (James 1:5).

Brian, you are my leader, the head of our home, and the man I am proud to journey through life beside.