Imperfect creations

We celebrate Sarah as the mother of nations, as a princess of nations. She was the wife of our Father Abraham, the mother of Isaac, the ancestor of our Savior. No doubt, she accomplished remarkable deeds. She survived her husband giving her to the Egyptian Pharaoh to save himself. She gave birth when she was 90. She was a hostess. But she also was a human.

When I look through Scriptures, I see a woman filled with determination – and jealously. A woman angered by her husband and her own actions. A woman who understood embarrassment and sarcasm. Sarah could have been an old, bitter woman.

I kind of get her.

We al have to make choices that dictate how the rest of our lives will go. Do we go to college? Do we study? Do we get married? Do we venture out on a new business?

And then there are the choices that we make daily that can add up over a lifetime. Do I wake up early to study the Bible? Do I seek to pray throughout my day? Do I spend time with my children or scroll mindlessly through Facebook? Do I focus on the task at hand or procrastinate?

We are so much like Sarah. I know we all are because we are human. We all experience jealously. We all experience anger. We all have made wrong choices and had to live with the consequences. We all have been embarrassed.

But we don’t have to be bitter.

Sarah could have been an old, bitter woman – if not for God. Yes, she made mistakes, and yes, she probably wouldn’t have been my choice to invite for dinner during those days, but Sarah experienced God’s glory and God’s promises. She didn’t always believe them – and she certainly made a mess of things when she tried to make God’s promises come to fruition in her own time – but she was loved by God.

We all may have her characteristics, but we can still be used by God. God still loves us, and we can still play a part in His magnificent rescue plan. We can still glorify Him. We can still praise Him. We can still serve Him.

Even when we make mistakes.

Even when we have been jealous, hateful, spiteful.

Even if we don’t see how He could possibly use us – that’s His specialty.

We are all imperfect creations living in an imperfect world created by a perfect Creator. And despite our imperfections, He loves us and calls us His own.

We don’t have to grow up to be old, bitter people. Sure, every day we get a little older, but I’d much rather be known as an old, joyful woman who trusted God.