The sacrifices of life

Abraham was asked to sacrafice the one thing he loved with all of his heart. The thing he desired and had prayed to God for. I can imagine him up there with tears in his eyes, the knife in his hand, readying himself to sacrifice his son. I imagine his throat was closed up and he could barely utter a word, but he knew that if God had asked him to do this deed, there was a reason for it. No matter the end result he trusted that God knew best. I also think he contemplated whether God would allow his son to still live even if Abraham saw this through. He trusted God no matter what. How many things do we offer to God as a sacrifice. When God asks us to sacrifice that one thing that we ultimately desire in our hearts, can we do it? Can we put it on the altar and sacrfice it to God trusting that He will provide a sacrfice in place of it? How far are we willing to go? What does God ask us to sacrifice? Has he asked you to sacrfice a life of happiness for a focused life that is committed to His will? Has he asked you to ever give up anything that meant the world to you? Think of something that is so dear to you it could be a person, a goal in life, a desire to attain or obtain something, an object of affection...the list goes on. We all have them. We all have that one thing that as life has gone on we long for that keeps us moving forward. The hope of getting to that goal keeps us moving on days we just want to drop and stay down. That desire you long for day in and day out, a life of happiness if only you had this one thing in your arms. Think of it. Picture the details to this desire you have. Imagine you have it or are so close to having it. Like a baby learning to crawl and you put those keys just where they can't reach them so it inspires them to move forward then as soon as they reach them...SNATCH! You pick them right up and move them again. Abraham finally had his son. In fact he had him for several years now. I don't think God told him in the beginning when Isaac was a child that eventually he would have to offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham had attained the one possession he so desired...his son. Then several years come and go Abraham is satisfied with his promised child and suddenly God appears to change things a bit in his life. Abraham finds himself choosing to offer up that child to God. God demanded it, so to Abraham and his faith that was the decision. He states that God would provide himself a sacrifice. Do we trust God enough to provide a sacrifice.

Why wounds itch...

The other day I scraped my hand on a board and a few layers of skin became less of my hand and more of the board I was working on. It hurt needless to say but now a week or so later its healing as it should. But it is more irritating now that it is healing than when I hurt it. Why? It itches and itches and itches. Do you find the deeper more severe the wound the more it itches when healing? The little ones don’t bother you much, they heal the scab falls off and on you go. But the deeper more severe the wound, the more area it covers, the more blood it spills…these are the ones that really itch when healing. I tried researching why do wounds itch when they heal and I found a few theories: -scabs are dry and rough, and when partnered with the development of new skin, they can stimulate the itch you feel as the wound begins to heal, new skin may be more sensitive, which may lead to more itching sensations. - new nerve growth causes signals to be received and sent to stimulate healing and this can feel itchy under your wound So if we understand that when we have been physically hurt, usually by my own doing due to clumsiness, our body begans to repair itself. The healing process begins. But as it heals in the later stages the irritation comes back in a different form no longer are you feeling pain but its replaced by an itch. Itches can be annoying, distracting, irritating and so on, especially if no matter what you do the itch can not be relieved until the healing process is finished and the new skin is done growing. If we compare this to life’s hurts and wounds. The deeper the wound the more irritation you may have when that wound is trying to heal in the later stages. Right before its completely healed the irritation can be at its worst! New growth is occurring, new feelings are taking the place of the old hurtful ones. The damaged area that you used to feel pain in is now replaced with new feelings you hadn’t felt in this are before. You may be feeling frustration at letting go, feeling lonely because you are no longer in the company of your pain, you may even feel a longing for the new “skin” to grow faster! New does not mix well with old so there is friction and irritation that occurs as the old is passing away and the new is being born. Matthew 9:16-17 discusses this with material and wine. Jesus tells us that putting old cloth with new fabric will cause the tear to become worse! And new wine into old bottles will cause the bottles to break! So when you have been wounded be prepared for the healing process. Once the pain is dissipated be ready for the next feelings to come along before joy can be attained. Wounds will be a part of life, so get good at knowing the healing process and where you are at in it. I am constantly hurting myself and it’s not usually caused by other people…hmmm sounds like another blog for another time. ;) Please read my blog on Scars for more about healing.