Today's Scripture Reading (September 26, 2024): Genesis 15
The idea of "childless
cat ladies" has taken hold of the American imagination. The concept
originates with Vice-Presidential candidate J. D. Vance, who argued that the
Democratic party is made up of women who are childless and, therefore, have no
stake in the future of the country. From Vance's point of view, only people
with children care about what happens tomorrow. The rest are childless cat
ladies, maybe even if they are men.
The concept of the "childless
cat lady" with no ties to the future is patently false. I have known many "childless
cat ladies." And in every situation, in my experience, they were wonderful
people. And these people are childless for a diverse set of reasons. Some were
childless because life's circumstances made them that way. Others had remained
childless because of choice. But every one of them cared about the planet and
the future of the human race.
At this point in time,
Abram is just another male "childless cat lady." God has blessed him
and has been faithful with everything he promised Abram, except for one thing:
Abram still does not have a family. But that doesn't mean he has no stake in
the future. However, one thing that does concern Abraham is that all of his
wealth will go to Eliezer of Damascus. Eliezer is a good man, but he is not
Abram's son.
Abram brings his
petition to God. He hopes that his childless state will end. Abram desperately
wants a child who will inherit all the ways the Patriarch has been blessed. But
he knows that, ultimately, that decision is no longer his. If he has a child, the
child will be born at the will of God, not his. The child would have been born
long ago if it were up to Abram.
I owe a lot to some "childless
cat ladies" in my life. They have invested in me and, as a result, in the
future of the human race. And I want to pay forward their investment in the
future. But more than that, I know men and women with children who seem to
disregard what the future might hold. It is not children that provide us with
an anchor for the future. It is something else; I think it is a matter of
character. These future-focused people possess a character that sees the future
as something designed to be passed on to the next generation, as well as a hope
that tomorrow will be even better than today because God has placed us in it. We
will bring his blessings to a world that has yet to be born.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Genesis 16
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