Today, we look at a Day 1 text from this year’s summer curriculum, “From Generation to Generation.”
Prayer: God, you are the greatest parent of all. You hear our prayers. You answer them in your time, in your way. You share with us, your children, the joy of caring for one another. May we ever treasure that gift of trust. Amen. Reading: Genesis 21:1-7 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I suffered from endometriosis throughout my teenage years and was warned that with the scarring and cysts I had, a healthy pregnancy might not be in the cards. So, becoming a stepmother with my marriage was a true blessing. When I became pregnant with my first child, it seemed a miracle. His brother followed four years later, conceived after we had stopped trying for a little brother or sister to add to our brood. And then, against all odds and human planning, God granted us one more treasure: our daughter. All four of these kids are wonders and easily the greatest gift of love in my life. Like Sarah, I have prayed and laughed over them--and, I suspect cried and worried, too. I was blessed with my four children having always wanted to be a mother. I believe their placement into my life was God’s will; I really do. Had I not borne three of them myself, God may have brought them to me or me to them in another way. I think of my aunt and uncle whose prayers were answered with not one adopted baby but two. Of cousins who parented foster sons forever part of our family. Of my uncle who never married but touched countless lives as a teacher. Was any one of these gifts less precious or miraculous? The evidence of God’s love in gifts of relationship abound, if only one looks and accepts them as the miracles they are. --Heather LeBlanc
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
Anyone is welcome to contribute! If you'd like to write for us, please e-mail [email protected] Email
Get our daily devotions delivered to your e-mail box each day by signing up below:
Archives
May 2022
Subscribe |