Reflect on Your Choices

And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. (Genesis 16:3-4)

After a decade in the land of Canaan, Sarai took a step rooted in the cultural norms of her time, offering Hagar to Abram as a wife. This was never God’s plan nor was it a part of God’s way of doing things, yet it was acceptable and normal in their culture and time.

Genesis 16:3-4 says Abram went in unto Hagar. He didn’t think about, pray about it, or talk about to Sarai about it. He just went. Abraham had no hesitation. He didn’t second guess it or consider the implications or ramifications of the choice to do this; he simply acted on her suggestion because the surrounding society accepted such actions as acceptable. The aftermath of this one act produced many fractured relationships involving Abram, Sarai, and Hagar.

Healthy relationships will not happen because we adapt and follow cultural expectations. The best relationships in our lives come from mutual faith and alignment with God's will. The best friends you have in life are the ones who push you to pursue God despite cultural norms.

Before you make any major changes or decisions, take time to reflect on your choices. Are they rooted in impatience, cultural pressures, or a genuine alignment with God's purpose? If your friendships and connections are rooted in anything other than mutual faith in God, they will lead you to challenging times in your life.

Consider your friendships and connections today. Are they causing you to pursue God or pressuring you to adapt to and conform to cultural norms? Let the story of Sarai encourage you to pursue God and His way only and look for people who push you to pursue Him, not your own way.