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Emails to God – Shepherds are “Detestable” (Genesis 46:31-34)

10 Oct

31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

Dear God, it’s kind of fun to see Joseph help his brothers out and insult them at the same time. Back where they came from, Jacob was a wealthy man with a lot of servants and respect. His brothers rode that coattail too. But here, Joseph helps them out by getting them a place to settle, but they have to do it by admitting that they are something that Egyptians find “detestable”. Joseph is NOT detestable to the Egyptians, but his brothers and father are. I wonder how this made them feel.

I see people every day who have jobs that others look down on and don’t respect. But they have value to you. We, as Americans, look at how much money they make, where they live, what they drive, their level of education, etc., and evaluate their worth. Some of them are, indeed, lost and not sure where they are going and what they are doing. Others, however, are living out your will for their lives, and doing the absolute best they can.

I would imagine that some would judge me as well. I know my siblings wonder about the life decisions I make. I haven’t pursued a lucrative career. I don’t have my kids in private schools. I don’t drive a nice car. I have chosen a solidly middle class American life, but that’s okay with you as long as it is within your plan for me and what you are calling me to do.

Father, help me to see each person I encounter today with your eyes. Help me to not esteem someone too much because of their wealth or title, and help me to not look down on someone because of their lack of the same. Help me to be at peace with where you have me as well. Be just in an unjust world. Make me a part of your hand of benevolence, mercy, and provision. Touch others through me and then point them back to you. Don’t let them see me, but help them to recognize that it is you that is providing for them.

 
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Posted by on October 10, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 46:28-30 Father and Son Reunion

08 Oct

28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.

30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”

Dear God, this is such a powerful image—a father and son embracing and weeping. I wonder how the other brothers were feeling while they watched this. Did any of them ever tell Jacob what they had done? How could their tell-tale hearts keep their wickedness silent?

Guilt is an interesting thing. There have been times in my life where I did something wrong and I lied about it to my parents or someone else. I have secrets. I have things I have hidden from others. I think we all do.

I think if I had been one of the brothers I probably would have packed up my bags, gathered my family, and made ready to set out for the desert. Then I would have gone to my father, told him what I did, that I was prepared to be banished from his presence, and then ask for his mercy. If he was crushed beyond grace then I would have left, taking my lot in life. If he had mercy then I would stay. I don’t, however think I could have lived with the secret. My brothers might have been mad, but some might have joined me. It would have been interesting to see how this kind of a scenario would play out.

Father, help me to be reconciled to anyone with whom I need to be reconciled. Help me to be open and honest. Help me to be appropriately vulnerable. Help me to be humble before others and to bring you glory through my life.

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 46:1-27 Jacob and His God

08 Oct

1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

 “Here I am,” he replied.

 3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

8 These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.

9 The sons of Reuben:

Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.

10 The sons of Simeon:

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11 The sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

12 The sons of Judah:

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).

The sons of Perez:

Hezron and Hamul.

13 The sons of Issachar:

Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun:

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

16 The sons of Gad:

Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher:

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:

Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

21 The sons of Benjamin:

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.

22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

23 The son of Dan:

Hushim.

24 The sons of Naphtali:

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.

26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.

Dear God, I went back to remind myself about the significance of Beersheba. This was the place where you revealed yourself to Jacob’s father, Isaac, and told him that you would bless him and be with him, and he built an altar to you there. It shows something about Jacob’s love for you that he took the time to stop there and sacrifice to you while he was there. I think that landmarks and memorials are important, especially when they point us back to remembering you.

 

 

 

I cannot imagine what Jacob was experiencing at this point. A child whom he loved and had great hopes for was thought to be lost, but instead was found. But he must have had some misgivings about taking the whole clan to Egypt because you decided to appear to him and tell him it was okay (even though, if you had told Jacob how things would go over the next several hundred years he would have turned the clan around and gone home).

 

 

 

I think that is the lesson for me here—well, one of them anyway. The lesson is that you don’t always do things the way I think they should be done, but I can have faith that the way I want things to turn out is not as good as the way you want things to turn out. Even with the day that is ahead of me today. I am dealing with more building-issue stuff. But you are guiding me and working this out for the good—maybe not my good, but somebody’s good.

 

 

 

Father, I have friends right now that are facing trials ranging from losing a job to death. They are discouraged and in need of your touch and your encouragement. They could use a little voice from you telling them it is going to be okay. Perhaps you are already giving them that voice and they are hearing it. Perhaps you are speaking and they aren’t hearing it. I pray that you will make each of them fully aware of you and help them to hear you and be comforted by you.

 

 

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 45:16-28 Telling Jacob

08 Oct

16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’

19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’”

21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”

25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Dear God, it would seem from the telling of this story in verses 26-28 that the boys never came clean and told their father what they did. It looks like they just told him that Joseph survived the animal attack since their words, according to verse 26 were, “Joseph is still alive!” I also noticed that Joseph’s instruction to them when they left was, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” He could probably foresee the guilt they would each feel and how they might take it out on each other. He was ready for it to be over for all of them.

I think it is interesting, also, that Joseph continued to treat Benjamin differently. It almost intimates that he did not totally forgive his brothers. There was still some bitterness there. Sure, Benjamin was his only full brother, but they had really done something unthinkable to him. He could see your overall plan, but I think there was still a part of him that couldn’t forgive.

I have been there with someone. In fact, I have been there a few times. One time I didn’t get a job that I really wanted, but, not getting that job actually led to a better job because someone involved with that search recommended me for the job I have now. It was all good. But I suffered for a few months after that rejection (yes, only a few months), so when I ran into a couple of those board members who didn’t hire me at a gathering I must confess that I was talking to them and hoping they left the conversation regretting that they hadn’t hired me—even though I had a better job than the one they had to offer.

Father, I still hold on to bitterness, and I am sorry. Please forgive me. Heal me from the things that have hardened my heart. I am sure that Joseph would love to have been in a place where he gave as much to all of his brothers as he gave to Benjamin, but he just wasn’t there. Help me to look beyond what others may or may not do to me and simply show them your love. This will give me freedom and give you the glory in their eyes.

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 45:1-15 The Big Reveal

08 Oct

1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’

12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

Dear God, I don’t know that I have ever read this story with the proper emotion because I have never read the entire story slowly and in context like I am now. I have always heard his proclamation in verse one as a shout of joy, but now that I read it more closely I see that he said it through weeping tears. You can almost see the emotion of all of the hurt he experienced through his first question of them: “Is my father still living?”

So Joseph was able to take the high ground and offer them grace, but that still didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt. The interesting thing is that, apparently, the hurt was part of your plan for Joseph. Whether it made him stronger, more humble, smarter, or whatever I don’t know, but the pain he experienced was every bit as much a part of this story as his maturation and growth.

Father, I have not experienced pain like this—yet. I have lost a child through miscarriage, and that was terrible, but it wasn’t over a prolonged period of time. But I see others around me who have experienced scarring pain. Usually it is through watching relatives slowly die. In fact, I was in the hospital yesterday visiting a man who is apparently dying. Frankly, it is probably the last time I will see him alive. The thing that struck me the most was that all of his family was around him. They had all been called because the end is near. No one told me that, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. This will add a new level of pain and suffering to all of their experiences, especially his wife. So I ask your protection over this family. Prepare them for your plan and give them your peace.

 

 

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 43:24-34 Joseph Shows Us His Pain

08 Oct

24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.

26 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”

28 They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.

29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.

31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”

32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

Dear God, a lot of times when I remember this story the only part I remember is that Joseph took the high road in two chapters and tells them that it is all okay because what they did was all part of your plan. But this chapter is careful to tell us how hard this was for Joseph. He doesn’t totally let them off of the hook for what they did to him. He scares them. He imprisons one of them. He threatens them. He deceives them with the silver. But it is almost like he is also giving them a chance to realize it is him, if only they will notice and recognize him. He seats them in the order in which they were born. He gives the innocent one among them five times the amount of food. He is begging them to notice. He can’t seem to help himself.

I appreciate what he will do in the next chapter. I wonder what he would have done with Benjamin if they had not passed his test and agreed to leave him there. I imagine as soon as they were gone he would have kept Benjamin as his brother (not a prisoner), sent for his father, and then imprisoned the other brothers. It can be so hard to be gracious in the face of abuse. It can be very hard to turn the other cheek.

Father, I do not feel abused, but I am facing a situation where I am having to fight for the rights of our organization. It can be hard to know where to draw the lines. Where do I push? Where do I show mercy? How do I live out your will for this situation in a way that will bring you glory and others into your deep presence? I don’t know the answers yet. Perhaps, like Joseph, I will be able to look back one day and see how you were working this for our good. But even if I can’t, I want you to know that I trust you deeply. I trust you with everything I have. Give me the peace that comes with that trust so that I can be the best representative of you that I can be.

 

 

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 43:15-23 Joseph Prepares His Test

08 Oct

15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”

17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”

23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

Dear God, the steward seems to have a fun role to play in this story. He gets to be the bearer of good tidings. He gets to affirm to them that you are with them. He basically gets to be your voice to them and let them know that you are in this. They are about to be brought to repentance, and they don’t yet know that, but in the meantime you are still taking the opportunity to encourage them through this steward.

Right now, I am in the position I hate where I have to figure out a way to parse out one of my kids’ bad behavior from their good behavior and deal with it appropriately. Frankly, this child has seemingly been doing a good job in most areas of their life, yet they are pushing some of the rules here. I get the feeling if I don’t nip it in the bud now and hold them accountable, then I will really be paying a price when they are older and I have much less control over them.

Father, I guess all of this relates because I want to figure out how to be a part of your presence to my childre and still be their father. I know that you want me to guide my children, but, frankly, they are hard to guide. Their temperaments are different from each other and can be tricky to navigate. So help me to navigate this in a way that shows them your love for them, my love for them, and my wife’s love for them. Help to mold them into adults who will ultimately be submitted to you. Mold me in your image as well so that you might receive glory through all of us.

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 43:1-14 Jacob’s Surrender

08 Oct

1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”

3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”

6 Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”

7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”

11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

Dear God, I think of this story as Jacob’s surrender. He was willing to let Simeon rot in jail before he would surrender what was most precious to him. Simeon should have been glad that the famine persisted because I get the feeling from this story that if the famine had broken then they would have never gone back for him. But the famine had broken Jacob. He surrendered to you, finally saying in verse 13, “As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” In other words, “I give up. If I am going to suffer then I am going to suffer.” Little did he know what blessing you had for him on the other side of the suffering.

Meanwhile, back in Egypt, I wonder what Joseph was thinking. After all, shouldn’t they have been back by now? Would they come back? Would they die? He had been excited about being reunited with his family. Had the window closed? I am sure he was praying to you during this time. I am sure he was asking for your mercy.

Father, help me to surrender to you before I get to the point where all hope seems to be lost. Help me to surrender to you when there is still much hope that things will work out on their own. Help me to surrender to you when things are going perfectly. I don’t want to be a person who is driven to his knees only in bad times, but I want to be someone who is driven to his knees simply out of devotion and surrender to you. I know that I take you for granted. I know I take your blessings for granted. There is no doubt about that. I don’t know how to not take you for granted. But help me to experience you and surrender to you so that you might live through me and be glorified in me.

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 42:6-17 Familiar Faces from the Past

08 Oct

6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked.

 “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”

10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”

13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 And he put them all in custody for three days.

Dear God, I like how it shows that Joseph did recognize them and remember the dreams. I don’t know how much of him messing with them was anger and how much was testing. We’ll see later that he overhears them talking and weeps behind their backs. I know there must have been a lot of hurt here with him. He had been through a trauma, but at the same time the trauma had not only put him in a position of power, but had also provided for his father, brothers, and their families.

I am scarred by events of the past. We all are. I still feel the affects of our miscarriage sixteen years later. I still feel the affects of the unemployment. I still feel that affects of trials as a parent. Some of those things I can see the blessings through and some are still just scars that I don’t understand. I suppose that part of those events was just drawing me closer to you.

Father, I know that you drew Joseph closer to you through all of his experiences, and I know you are continuing to draw me closer to you through mine. Right now, I am about to leave for a lovely three-day conference that will include fellowship with my dad, worship, and fellowship with others. So be with me as I go to Florida. Give me some rest, but also prepare me for the rest of the fall. Be glorified in me and teach me. And be with my wife and kids. Love and encourage them. Help them to all get along and be at peace with each other.

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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Genesis 42:1-5 Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

08 Oct

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.

Dear God, that was a long way to go for food. I would imagine that part of the brothers’ thinking was that surely there had to be a more efficient way for them to find food. Going to Egypt seems like such a drastic thing to do.

It is funny how you use jobs, food, etc. to move us around. I think about my dad getting drafted and stationed in San Antonio at Ft. Sam Houston and that bringing our family from Kansas to Texas. I think of my grandfather being stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas, and that being how my dad ended up growing up in Kansas instead of Pennsylvania. I couldn’t find a job anywhere in 2005 except for one in Tyler, which I ended up not taking, and then Fredericksburg, which brought us here. It is a drastic decision to pick up and move, and we need some huge factor to motivate us to do it. Especially when we have roots.

I sometimes feel really bad when we have a complicated case come to the clinic and our best advice to them is to move to a large city because that is the only place where they can receive help. It is so much easier said than done.

Father, you have a plan for all of us, and you use whatever means you have to do guide us. Sometimes it is something that you allow to happen, and sometimes it is something you cause to happen. I don’t know which it is in any given scenario, but you do and I want you to know that, regardless of any suffering that might come my way, I trust you, I have faith in you, and I love you.

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2011 in Genesis

 

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