Today’s scripture: Hebrews 11:23-31 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tammy Mills):
There is a great Alan Jackson song called, Where I Come From:
I said where I come from
It’s cornbread and chicken
Where I come from a lotta front porch sittin’
Where I come from tryin’ to make a livin’
And workin’ hard to get to heaven
Where I come from.
We may not all come from cornbread and chicken, but we all come from somewhere. Our scripture today tells us where Moses was from, as well as the people of Israel. The author of Hebrews seems to want us to remember where we are from so we can see how God was at work in our past. And as we see how God as been at work in where we are from, we will gain faith in the notion that God is working in our present, whether we see it clearly or not.
I have had the opportunity lately to think a lot about where I come from. I come from times of triumph and times of defeat. Times of challenge and times of boredom. Times of laughter and joy and times of pain and tears. The bottom line, for me, is that God has always been there, no matter what the circumstance.
Someone introduced me to a great exercise to help me focus on where I come from. They suggested I write a poem. The poem did help me to remember where I had been and how God has been there for me.
I am from…
I am from… the Hoosier heartland, a rural high school, the Ol’ Ball U and AU.
I am from… simple people with complex lives and big dreams.
I am from… “Where’s Tam?” and “Yea! Little Mom is home!”
I am from… what I saw at the time as failed relationships, and scary relationships, to today’s lifetime-to-discover-and-uncover, love connection.
I am from… snuggling with my first love Chance, playing with the apple of my eye Charlee, and hanging out with my best buddy Darby.
I am from… labor marches in Muncie, women’s right’s marches in DC and pride marches every June.
I am from… the closet, the classroom and the pulpit.
I am from… the loving support of my sometimes crazy family, the strength of many years of learning to support and love myself, and now the magical mysterious adventure of creating my own family.
I am from… here and there and a little bit of everywhere.
I am from… anywhere my feet will take me and my heart will lead me.
Thought for the day: How about you? Where are you from? Can you see how God has been at work in your life? Does seeing where you’re from help you see how God is guiding you in the present?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.