Framing

Genesis 15:2-3 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

I paint. Walls, ceilings, exterior surfaces. But I also paint pictures, usually landscapes with buildings. I am working this year to refine my painting of trees, shrubs and grasses. Which means I must do a lot of painting, the non-gallon at a time painting.

One of the important parts of painting pictures is the framing of the picture. What gets included in the painting and what gets excluded is important. Not every image is worth painting. Not every picture will have the same appeal to the viewer, even if painted really well.

But beyond the framing of the image, the frame that goes around the finished painting makes a bid difference as well. The Mona Lisa, a fairly small painting in and of itself, has a fancy frame around it, making it seem more impressive. Art galleries spend a lot of time determining what frame will be used when the painting is hung. The frame makes a difference in how the painting is seen.

How we frame the events of our lives makes a big difference in how those events affect our futures. When a child is abused they often frame the event as something they brought on themselves, that if they had done something different, the abuse would not have happened. As adults, we know this isn’t true, but it can be hard to help change the frame once it is attached to the event. Hard, but not impossible.

We see Abram framing his childlessness in two distinct ways in our text. The first is a neutral “I remain childless.” There is no assigning of blame or fault. No one is put in the “this lands in your lap” box. It is just “I don’t have kids.”

The second frame puts the LORD in the hot seat. “You have given me no children.” Abram points his finger squarely in the LORD’s chest and thumps it. This isn’t my fault, it is yours! I’ve been doing my part. When are you going to step up and do your part. Why are you standing in the way! It was your promise, after all.

It can be easy to place blame on other people. I know I can get caught in this shifting. Things that just happen, as part of a fallen world, get placed in the neutral category or in the “deserving of blame” category. It often happens without much thought, automatically. We like things put in boxes!

But as we read Abram’s story, we read that great blessing came as a result of the delay in childbirth. Names changed, promises given, promises fulfilled, history itself changed. Faith is declared as the path to friendship with the LORD.

This kind of trusting faith, even in the face of our tendency to blame-shift, brings us into alignment with the will of God. He wants us to trust His word. “Don’t eat this one fruit.” That is how it started. I am going to bless you, even though you don’t see it at the moment.

Are you willing to trust, even though you might not see the fulfillment at the moment? Or are you going to demand evidence in your hand, seen by your eyes? How are you framing the events in your life at this moment in time?