Genesis 22:1-2 says, “Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham! Here I am!’ Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” If you’ve followed Abraham’s story, you know that Isaac had been born to him in his old age. There probably was not another opportunity to have another one. To test Abraham, God told him to sacrifice his son, the one he loved very much.

God spoke to me briefly and said that I too am being tested at this time. It took time after time, failure after failure, to finally land my dream job, teaching. The road has been paved with blood, sweat, and many, many tears, but I finally reached my destination. Now, God is asking me to give this up. I know this because all the doors surrounding me are closing one by one. The space I occupy is so small that there is only room for God and me.

“What is this great test Lord?” I ask. “Haven’t I passed many? I’m still on this Earth, I have survived child abuse, a broken home, failure, and disappointment many times over. Isn’t this enough?” I keep hearing my Father say, “No. There is something else you must prove to me. You must go home and make peace. Restore the place where you were the most broken. Repair the relationship with your mother and grandmother. Stop running away from your past. ” Isaiah 61:4 says, “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated by generations.”

I don’t know where I will land or when I will get there, but the road keeps pointing me home. Maybe this is the last leg of the journey. The final pit stop before I finally and truly find rest in the Promise Land.

Love in Christ,

Nichole