The Calling To Awake

Hagar held a promise that was not originally intended for her. She was a servant. Foreign. Female. Powerless. She belonged to Sarai, and when Sarai couldn't bear children, Hagar's body was offered as a substitute. She wasn't asked. She was assigned.  For a moment, she held the one thing Sarai wanted most. And Sarai full of rage, jealousy, and pain, turned against her. Scripture says Sarai, "Mistreated her." The word in Hebrew implies oppression. Violence. Abuse.  So Hagar did the only thing she could think to do. She ran. She ran with no plan. No protection. No allies. No map. A pregnant woman, alone, in the desert. Unloved. Unseen. Unwanted. Then she collapsed beside a spring. Not just physically empty, but emotionally starved. Not just abandoned by Sarai, but by the whole world. That's where God found her. Not in a temple. Not while she was praying. Not in a moment of worship. But in the dirt. Sweaty. Desperate. Running. "Hagar," the angel of the L...

The Biblical Adoption of Esther "Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died." Esther 2:7  The Birth Family:  ~Our Christian texts do not shed any light on what happened to Esther's parents. In the Jewish faith, it is said her father died before she was born, while her mother died during childbirth. (JWA.org) ~Her parents were Jewish, as was Mordecai.  ~Before her parents' death, the climate for Jews in Persia was stable. Persia was under Zoroastrianism, founded by the prophet Zoroaster. "Conquered peoples were allowed to practice their own religions as long as they paid taxes and recognized Persian authority. The Persian Empire is considered one of the first in history to adopt such a policy of religious tolerance." According to Study.com ...

The Biblical Adoption of Samuel ~Samuel’s mother chose to obey by giving up the cherished moments of childhood in order to help fulfill God’s will. In a way, she chose Samuel’s role in life, but he, too, had to be obedient in order for things to fulfill God's will. Not our own. ~Hannah, what if she disobeyed and neglected the purpose behind the promise? I believe Samuel would have grown up feeling like a fish out of water - like he didn’t belong. Never able to please, as he wasn’t in the role he was meant to take on. He was born and given life for a specific purpose. ~Israel would have remained off God’s favor until an obedient person heeded the call. ~Hannah’s self-worth demonstrates her faith through obedience (We can undo the blessing). ~Great sacrifice, as her love for God is greater than the heart-wrenching choice to obey and let go of Samuel. ~God blessed her obedience, although the sacrifice had to come first. Her faith allowed her to believe in God’s fulfillment. ~Expressio...

Moses and Adoption Born a slave - Raised as royalty Levels of power/privilege can be a lonely place. Moses' birthmother and adoptive mother: ~The birthmother, Yocheved (daughter of Levi, Ex.2:1), kept Moses as long as she could, but knew he would be killed if found. I believe she felt a drive to do what she did, and God interceded. ~She came up with a well-thought-out plan to try and keep him safe. She waterproofed the basket and found the safest place on the river ~The birthmother wanted the best for Moses - enough to give him up for a better life. ~The pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah (Batyah), wanted the best for Moses. She loved him so much that she had his biological mother nurse him. Not that the daughter of the King of Egypt herself could nurse Moses, but there is a great sacrifice here, as it allowed Moses to survive the execution of all Hebrew male children. It put Moses back within his roots and allowed him to be raised multi-culturally, which would give him great insight on h...

~Religion Versus Relationship (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 John 4:8, Proverbs 3:5-6 (Doesn't say lean on another man's understanding) ) ~Spiritual Abuse in Our Churches (1 Timothy 5:20, Titus 1:5-9, 1 John 1:9-10)  ~Insight into the Aftermath of Churches Covering Up Abuse (Jeremiah 23:1-4, Ezekiel 34:1-16, Matthew 23:1-12, Acts 20:28-30)  ~Lack of Understanding Equals Lack of Accountability (Proverbs 2:6 and 4:7)  ~Who's Picking and Choosing Scriptures to "Follow"? (James 2:10)  ~"If this is how a Christian acts, I want no part in it..." (Matthew 18)  ~Misrepresentation and Control (Galatians 1:6-9 (yes, it's Paul)  ~Guilt and Shame — and Knowing the Difference (Shame can distort God's love and mercy) (Psalms 34:5)  ~The Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom. Man learns knowledge. Wisdom is a divine treasure we seek to find. (Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5, Proverbs 16:16) These are just a few verses to support each point. A little digging will find you ma...

Major thank you to Matter News, especially Andy Downing, who took great care and conducted thorough research. Thank you so very much for helping me share part of my journey.  Lost Sheep Combating The Darkness: https://matternews.org/community/arent-you-supposed-to-go-after-lost-sheep/ "Decades after Elizabeth Thompson said she was molested as a child by a fellow parishioner more than two decades her senior at Faith Memorial Church in Lancaster, Ohio, she has finally started to make her way back toward the light.  In March 2019, Elizabeth LaPorte Thompson drove nearly 650 miles from Savannah, Georgia, to Lancaster, Ohio, and Faith Memorial Church – a place she frequented throughout childhood but hadn’t set foot inside for decades. The years leading up to that moment had been fraught for Thompson, 42. As a teenager, she dropped out of Circleville Bible College amid struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and an associated eating disorder that she said at one point left her wei...