Berĕshith 4 :: This is the Great Adventure

I cannot even imagine what it must have been like to have The Almighty speak to you as He did to Abram. Without so much as a "Fear not!" to soften the shock: what did Abram think when YHVH called him to leave his home?

I have grown up thinking that he must have simply just packed up his camels and hiked off into the desert with his entourage. It may very well have happened that way, but the stories don't give us much to go on when we start to wonder what must have been going through his mind. Regardless of what he may have thought, it's pretty clear that Abram did not hesitate to sh'ma the voice calling him out of his father's household and off to (pardon the expression) "God knows where."

Any adventure always starts with a departure... and with us leaving something behind. We each have a different story, because we are all called to leave something behind when we heed our individual call to follow YHVH. Whatever that thing is will make our story a unique one. Can you identify with any of these things that we have been called to leave behind when we sh'ma the voice of YHVH calling?

• Self-destructive behavior 
• Critical spirit
• Attitude of entitlement or victimization
• Sense of self-importance
• Toxic relationship(s)
• Getting too comfortable with our comfort zone
• Pride in our own accomplishments 

I, for one, have had to re-start my adventure of listening for His voice and following where He leads more than once. Much like Abram's father Terah, I have discovered just how easy it is to lose my focus and get pulled off track and waste precious years in my own "Haran." Thankfully, YHVH is a God of second (and third... and fourth...) chances. Otherwise,  I certainly wouldn't be where I am today. 

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Vayera: Genesis 18:1 - 33

Haftarah: II Kings 4:1 - 37

B’rit Chadasha:  Galatians 4:1 - 5:6;  Hebrews 11:17 - 19