Life Lessons From Biblical Characters | Abraham

In chapter 17:10 of Genesis, God gave Abraham a command to c*rcumcise every male in his household in order to show that he and his family were set apart for the Lord. 

Sometimes, as a family we need to have a way that we can be set apart as a follower of Christ. 

Yes, our behavior, our language, and our habits should set us apart, but sometimes for our own families we need to come up with an idea to remind our children that as their parents, we have chosen to serve the Lord.  Your idea should not be imposed on anyone else and no one outside of your family unit needs to even know about it.  In fact, the next time I was able to find c*rcumcision mentioned to anyone outside of Abraham's family, it is when Jacob's sons use it is a way to trick and then slaughter the men of Shechem. 

Now, if you choose to tell others, some will definitely have an opinion or a criticism (for some reason people always like to impose their opinions where it doesn't belong) for whatever reason.  During our courtship, as I have mentioned before, Brian and I chose not to kiss until our wedding day.  Is that a choice that every dating couple needs to make?  No.  But we chose not to for many different reasons, one being that we wanted to be set apart.  And there were some who ridiculed and criticized us.  Why?  Because sometimes setting yourself apart can be uncomfortable for others.  

But if you remember that you are setting yourself apart for the Lord and not because you are trying to make a loud statement, trying to come across as being "holier than thou" (which is a real turn off), or because you want to carry a self-righteous attitude, comments are less likely to be made, and if they are, they are less likely to hurt you.

May our attitudes and behavior alone set us apart for the glory of God, and may He give us creativity as we chose meaningful ways to teach our children that we are set apart for His purposes.