“The Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”
Abraham did not reply. Abraham did not ask, “Why me?”
Abraham did not argue or protest. Abraham did not hesitate.
“Abram went forth as the Lord commanded him.”
There are times when we are called upon, perhaps by family, perhaps by a friend, perhaps by circumstances, perhaps by an inner tugging at the heart, to encounter a situation when we do not know the outcome. It may be moving to a new destination where we will have to make new friends; it may be a situation that is not necessarily safe; it may be circumstances that test our physical or emotional strength.
I have a cousin who after he graduated from The University of Texas in pre-med could have proceeded directly into medical school and be a practicing physician by now. However, against advice from friends and family, he enlisted in the Air Force in Para-Rescue. The training in itself is difficult to the extreme and many cannot meet the qualifications. However, with God’s help, he completed six years of enlistment as a Para-Rescue, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is now in medical school.
Not all of us can answer such a call, but there are times when we all have felt a call to step out in faith because we feel compelled to do so. And we must never underestimate what a single mitzvah can achieve, what a kind word or gesture can accomplish. We may not be called as Abraham was, but we all do have that small inner voice that will lead us in the right direction if we are attuned to it.
Shabbat Shalom