More Lessons from Father Abraham

The photo in this blog is of an artwork series I did on the Abraham sacrificing Isaac story. I explored all the varying ways I thought each character might respond to his respective role in that most disturbing Biblical drama, but that is NOT what I am going to pontificate about today. However, I do find the strategy of tying children up when you must do an unpleasant task like sacrifice them or take them dress shopping to be a useful one.
You may have all noticed that yesterday, in my blog post, I did not mention God, or the Bible, or faith. Not even once. Those of you who know me well understand that this usually only happens when I swallow a bottle of Crazy Glue by accident.

So I will make up for it today. As soon as I finished my God-devoid post yesterday, I sat down with Asherel to do our Bible study. As I am always well-prepared, I was as surprised as she was to discover what was on tap for our walk with God through the rosy path of conviction and guilt. (I want you to know that I never make things up. I record faithfully what really happens though sometimes I stretch things with the well-known and approved tactic of "literary license". However this honestly was the study that we were to do unbeknownst to me that day.)

Our passage was 2Corinthians 5:1-11. Since eleven verses may stretch the attention span of many, I will paraphrase. Listen y'all (I am paraphrasing with a southern accent since I have been a southerner for 15 years now) we are groaning and moaning because our earthly bodies are gross, face it. I mean compared with what we will look like in heaven, we are a bunch of smelly goats! No wonder we are always worrying about things like clothes (also known as wedding apparel) or fancy houses- they are nothing like what we know we really want and need which is our heavenly attire. But the real goal is not what we are wearing, it is how we are pleasing God, and when we stand before him, we will all give an account, summarized by "Were you naughty or nice?"

It is the little things in life that make up a life. It is rarely the big things that mold a character. I remember someone, probably my mom, telling me that when you get old and wrinkly, you will get the face you deserve. If you spent a lifetime smiling, you will have laugh lines. If you spent a lifetime frowning, you will have furrows between your brows. Short of surgical correction, you will look like a sour old witch or a happy prune. So Asherel and I talked about how one of the little things she was being called upon to do with a happy face was choose a dress and shoes that would make cousin Renee and Aunt Amy understand that she loved them so much that she was willing to sacrifice her aversion to dressing up and do what would please them. Even in this little thing in life, God could be glorified or self could be glorified. It is always a choice.
And lo and behold, Asherel liked a dress I brought home (she is still too sick to shop) and agreed happily to the shoes and sweater Matt and Karissa found. And in exchange for a cookie, she smiled for the photo I sent Aunt Amy. She has even agreed to brush her hair for the wedding.