leaving home

Ask a high school junior where they'd like to go to college and the answer you get with very often involved some version of, "because of how far from home it is."

I haven't done the research, but this has to be a relatively recent phenomenon. For most of human history, as far as I can tell, it hasn't been wise to stray too far from home. Family was important, for sure, but so too was security, job training, education, inheritance, and much more.

Which makes it all the more strange that God tells Abram to leave home and Abram just does it. This is the first of many opportunities Abram will have to show his faith and trust in God, but it is perhaps the most dangerous. For that reason, and for the many others, Paul is so right when he says of Abram, "No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."

Oh, if I only had faith like that. Faith to not waver. Faith to always give glory to God. Faith to be convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. But alas, I am no Abram. I fight with God instead of having faith. I give myself and my luck the glory instead of God. I'm never fully convinced that God will do it all; I'm always hedging my bets.

With God's grace we can grow in our faith. From my current state of faith like an atom (or an electron or a quark) perhaps, in time, God will bless me with faith like a water molecule or if I'm really steadfast like a mustard seed. Faith enough to follow whenever God calls. Faith enough to come to God first. Faith enough to have it reckoned to me as righteousness. Wouldn't that be nice?