We think of faith as "active," something to be pursued, nurtured and strengthened, and this is true. But faith is often a "passive" virtue, evident when we refuse to act according to our passions or instincts. Salvation draws us away from our past and the life of sin, calling us toward the new life of the Spirit.When Abraham, toward the end of his life, sought a wife for his son, Isaac, jn the land of his ancestors, he demonstrated his faith by telling his servant, "See to it that you do not take my son back there." Remember God's call to Abraham: "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you..." Forward-looking faith protects us from the tendency to return to the things of the past. Think of Lot and his ill-fated return to Sodom, of the belligerant Israelites who wanted to return to Egypt. Then think of Ruth who would not go back to her home following the death of her husband, but insisted rather to follow Naomi and her God; The path of faith encounter many forks in the road. We are wise to carefully follow the way God has planned for us.
After Abraham's servant identifies Isaac's future wife, Rebekah, she resists the temptation to stay even ten more with her family and abandons her past with the words, "I will go." It is usually safer, more convenient and more comfortable to go back. But God waits for the words, "I will go," the true words of faith.
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