Today's text - Genesis 21:1-7
He laughs.
Abraham and Sarah took a wrong turn in growing a family. They heard God's promise of a son, but impatience - biological clock ticking, they decided to take matters into their own hands. Ishmael is born. Sarah gets jealous. Hagar and baby get exiled. A great episode for Focus on the Family (or Jerry Springer?).
God could have said, "you messed up - now live with your mess." But God is always a God of second chances. And God is a promise keeper. And if you read the text, you'll see that promise highlighted.
All the past mistakes are swallowed up in a promised son. This son brings joy. So much joy that they name him "He Laughs." A name that will always remind Sarah of how she laughed when God's messengers pronounced she would have a son in her old age.
A sense of humor is a good thing - the ability to laugh at oneself. Abraham and Sarah are so overjoyed to have a son that they don't mind being laughed at. It's a good joke - this son.
How about you? When you mess up, are you able to laugh at yourself? Do you beat yourself up too much when things go wrong and it's your fault. Abraham and Sarah had to live with the consequences of taking family planning into their own hands, but God did not abandon them. There's a lesson in there for us.
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