School's out

Today is Nick's last day of school. Fifth grade is officially over. That means he is headed to Middle School. I'm trying hard not to think about the fact that the sixth grade is the halfway point in his twelve-grade journey and then it's on to college. I watched a program last night that included K-5th graders. Each grade performed a song or dance that related to different countries around the world. As I watched the grades parade by I paused to remember Nick's journey through the years. Memory is a powerful thing. Meaningful reflection is one of God's most powerful gifts. He allows us to revisit situations and challenges that we have faced in life with the benefit of living on "the other side" of those events. We have the opportunity to revist situations and places with the advantage of new perspective. This week as I have studied Genesis 22, I noticed something that I had overlooked many times. When Abraham was on the mountain being tested by God, he was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. God provided a ram for him to sacrifice instead of Isaac. As a result of God's provision, Abraham named the place "God will provide". I have often heard this referred to as a name of God, and in a sense it is a descriptive name of God. But, in the context of Abraham's story, it is the name of the place where God provided. Abraham named the place so that his memory and the memory of others would identify that place with God's provision. Whether I am reflecting on Nick's journey through the years or my own journey as a Father and husband, I have a strong desire to remember the places where God has provided - and there are many. it is a way for us to connect the visible places of life, the places we can see with the God we do not see. It builds our faith to remember.