Moving With Purpose
Lech Lecha (Genesis 12-17 )
Ten generations had passed since the death of Noah. The world had once again begun to worship all sorts of idols and held complete contempt for any monotheist view - everyone except for one man named Abraham. After significant and thorough thought and investigation, he was certain that there was only one God and began teaching this radically different belief to anyone who would listen. When God saw just how committed Abraham was to spreading this message, God appeared before him and said...
"Go for yourself from your land... to the land that I will show you... So Abraham went as God had spoken to him..." (Genesis, 12:1-4)
A LIFE LESSON
According to surveys, moving ranks is one of the most stressful things a person ever does. A reason for this is that human beings are creatures of habit and don't like to move away from things that are familiar and comfortable.
God not only told Abraham to move, He didn't even tell Abraham where he would be going. Certainly seems like a doubly stressful situation.
But it wasn't.
Because when someone leaves the familiar and comfortable to go to something of a much higher and worthy cause, then the stress involved in the move is dramatically decreased. Because Abraham was leaving his home to spread the word of God, the stress involved was reduced to almost nothing.
Suppose a doctor decided to close up his practice, pack his bags, and move to a third world country in order to help the people in desperate need of his skills. The doctor's stress of leaving his familiar surroundings is now replaced with excitement and purpose. But if instead, the doctor was moving to a different city just because he wanted a larger house, then this move now becomes filled with anxiety and worry.
As creatures of habit we tend to shop in the same stores, have the same circle of friends, and eat the same types of foods. We will always enjoy the comfort of the familiar versus the anxiety of the unknown. But when the unknown is for a higher and greater purpose, then the anxiety is diluted in the sea of purpose.
When we're making a difference in the world, we're acting consistent with how God created us. So if we move away from something comfortable toward something unfamiliar - but the unfamiliar will better the world - then almost all stress is left behind. The reason the stresses of the unknown are no longer present is that the unknown is now known - your higher purpose is awaiting you.