Holding loose

-

Reading through the life of Abraham this season, with the fresh memory of some of our friends and known people who have  gone on from this world due to COVID19 or have faced imminent death and recovered, was challenging. The things we hold on, fight, grapple and struggle with, loses significance in the light of imminence of disease, morbidity and mortality!

Abraham in his journey held many things loose. He held his right as uncle to choose what was rightfully his loose! Genesis 12:8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let us not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let us part company. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

He held what was rightfully his reward or remuneration loose! Genesis 14:21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”  22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

He held God given desires and promises loose! Genesis 17:17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” 

He held the fulfilled promise of his son loose! Genesis 22;2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 


Each time he opened his hand and handed over what was rightfully his, God got back to him reminding him the promise, reiterating the covenant and God being his only reward! Wondering, what all do I need to hold loose this season! And what do I need receive and be reminded by God as I learn to hold things loose…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three Learnings....

-
Image
This is the “report” of a recent faith-based health worker gathering—not the typical blog! I was compelled by what I witnessed over the last two days to write down three key observations and learnings.   The gathering brought together doctors, nurses, administrators, allied health professionals, data managers, priests, sisters, and laypeople, all engaged in listening to one another. While the structure of the system had its usual strong hierarchy, much like any healthcare system, what stood out to me was the absence of an "us vs. them" mentality. They were all there to learn from each other—nurses working alone in remote and challenging areas, administrators struggling with the sustainability of large institutions, and doctors stretched to their limits. It was a community of learning and growth!   When will I learn to live without an "us vs. them" mentality? In my mind, I often divide people into 'us' and 'them'—categories that seem justified by my o
Read more

Humanity without boundaries, Love without Borders

-
Image
Visiting the “Genocide Museum” at Kigali was sobering. The pain the nation, communities, families, and individuals went through, and the millions murdered was beyond comprehension.   Seeing the museum, with all the pictures and videos of atrocities perpetuated by one community against their own brothers and sisters was disturbing and confusing. How can brothers and sisters kill their own?  But then this is true of many nations, including my own.  What encouraged us was – the national leaders had the vision to put the brokenness of their own nation, out there in the public as reminder for upcoming generations. Yes, the past is painful, but it must be openly communicated so that we can learn from our mistakes and not end up doing it again.  But then, many other nations too have created such memorials. Cambodia, Holocaust museums, Bosnia, and such others. Friends who have visited these locations told us, all these have something in common. These nations had the courage to put the inconven
Read more

Difference...

-
Image
What makes an organization different? I am not talking about successful or great organizations but different. Different means making a difference in the world and transforming lives.   I was sitting in the back of a conference hall listening to the leaders from 19 hospitals reporting on what has happened over the last year. A few observations from what I heard:   1. Leadership with a bigger picture: Leaders who understand why they are doing what they are doing. They have clarity that institutions and organisations are merely platforms to make a difference in the contexts where they are placed. Leaders who prioritise vision and values above  self, people above institution, and larger mandate above money. Their lives open to be transformed and through those changes others are challenged to change too.    2. Leadership in their prime age: One might ask, what is prime age? With our nation having more than 55% of its population under 35 years of age, the average age of leadership should be
Read more