Lech L’cha, Genesis 12:1–17:27
A Letter from Abram
Bruce
Kadden
Dear Mom and Dad,
By the time you read this letter, Sarai and I, and
our nephew Lot, will be well on our way to the land of Canaan. I wanted to say
goodbye to you personally, but couldn’t figure out how to tell you we were
leaving and not coming back. I love you dearly and would never do anything to
hurt you.
Why are we leaving? The short answer is that God
told me to leave. I know that may sound strange to you, but for some time now I
have had a strong feeling that I didn’t belong here. Don’t get me wrong. Haran
is a beautiful city and I have enjoyed living here, but it has never been
home.
I remember when we left Ur, you told me that one of
the reasons we had to go was that it never felt like home. At the time, I
couldn’t understand it because it was the only place I had ever known. But now I
get it. It is not about where you are born or where you have lived the longest.
It is about where you feel you belong, and I just never have felt that I belong
here.
I am sure you remember the day a few years ago that
you left me alone in your idol shop. At first, I was so proud that you trusted
me and gave me the responsibility. I really thought that I could do a good job,
but when the first person came into the store I realized that my heart wasn’t in
it. And then, well, you remember what happened. I don’t know what came over me,
but before I realized what I was doing all of the idols were smashed except for
the biggest one. And I felt so good. You were so much more understanding than I
expected you to be. Maybe you knew then what it took me much longer to
discover.
I remember those stories you used to tell me as a
young child about the struggles of the gods Marduk and Tiamat. I was so
intrigued by those tales and wanted you to tell me more. At some point, though,
I realized that they were just stories. And later I realized that the idols were
just pieces of stone. Everyone around me continued to be intrigued by those
stories and enthralled with the idols but they just didn’t speak to me
anymore.
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