Have you ever read Genesis 11? At the end of the chapter, a man called Terah sets out for the land of Canaan with his family “But when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.” Genesis 11:31-32

Did you see that, dear one?

Terah had the desire in his heart to go to Canaan, but he settled. And died in the place where he settled.

Ouch.

I can relate to Terah. I’ll be the first to admit, the journey is long and tiring. And I sometimes consider how nice it would be to just “stay here”. It seems easier to relax and recline at this rest stop. The children are happy. And if I hear, “Are we there yet” one more time, I might just blow my top. We could make a home “here”. In reality, though, this is not home and I do not want to watch my dreams die in this place. I do not want the call of God to grow silent in a place of convenience. As my Poppy would say, “I wanna wear out, not rust out!”

I don’t want to stop short of Canaan for what is convenient.

I want to be like Abraham, the father of our faith. He is Terah’s son. In Genesis chapter 12, God promises Canaan to Abraham as an inheritance. And eventually his descendants call Canaan, not convenience, home. I want my children to go beyond where I’ve gone. Not because I stopped short but because I blazed the trail and obtained God’s promise in this season. I want to show them that there is nothing that is impossible to those who believe! I want to take the mountains and until God says, “Stop, it girl. C’mon home, leave some for the next generation!”

And so I wipe the sweat from my brow, readjust the backpack and set my eyes on the Promised Land.

How about you?

Dear One, don’t settle for the place before the promise.

C’mon, let’s press on and see what the end will be…

_{photo credit: Featured image by Pam Patterson from Pixabay
photo credit: Image by Ghinzo from Pixabay}