“Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from the dead.” - Hebrews 11:19

Isaac.  Many Christians know the story.  God promises Abraham a son.  He finally receives that son.  Then, God does the strangest thing.  He tells Abraham to take his promised son and kill him on an altar.  Somehow, Abraham doesn’t even hesitate and goes to do what God asks.  The crazy part?  God says “stop” right before he goes to do it and says look at the ram in the bushes.  God replaces Isaac with the ram and all is right in the world.

This story may seem strange, but I feel at times God asks us to prove our allegiance.  Asks us to show Him what our number 1 priority is.  Before He gives you something that you can keep, He may ask you to sacrifice it for what He wants.  You’ve heard my story - the story of starting a home for teenage mothers.  Read Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to understand the whole story.  I’m going to give you an inside scoop on what wasn’t included ever before.  

The real story is this - I was Abraham offering up Isaac.  Isaac was my dream.  My real dream was to be an executive director of a pregnancy center, author, wife, mother, and care for many young men who didn’t have a stable family.  I got a two-bedroom apartment and was ready to start foster care.  Then, God spoke to me.  He showed me the statistics of how many people grow up in single family homes.  He showed me that wouldn’t be the best option.  I looked around and there were Christian guys, but I did not know any who would want to marry me and raise a bunch of boys that weren’t their own.  That would be a special guy.  Also, I wanted to get married with the goal that I loved someone and wanted to be their partner in life - not for a reason that would ever make them feel used.

God asked me to give a sacrifice.  He asked me if I was willing to lay down those dreams and do something that would help foster kids now.  That was to start a home for teen moms - something He had already shown me in All God’s Children KY and would change the lives of many.  I gladly accepted and He gave me another friend through writing an article about wanting to start a home for teen moms on this magazine.  Courtney became my partner and we both strove to be like Tirzah - women stepping out in faith before marriage to impact women for generations.

While this wasn’t the way I imagined life, it was anything better than I could see or imagine.  God gave me a community of people who loved and supported me.  He gave me a David and Jonathan relationship.  Friends that had the same vision - to enhance a Kingdom and be a voice for the people.  That’s what we get to be. I had friends that I spent the last two years of pouring into the lives of young men as their sisters, friends who helped us start a home for teen moms, and friends that even helped start a church plant.  Sometimes life is different than we imagined and we get more than we ever could have asked for:). Stay tuned for next month’s article as I close out this chapter of my life and begin a new journey!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alycia Marie is a free-spirited wanderer and follower of Christ. She spends her days exploring around the city with the unique family that God has given her. At this time, she is currently working with non-profits and churches to tackle rebuilding families in the city of Milwaukee. In her free time, she plays with preschoolers, writes in coffee shops, and travels the world.