Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.” — Genesis 23:12-13
Sarah died upon hearing that Abraham was about to sacrifice her beloved son, Isaac. In the span of one day, Abraham faced the unthinkable task of following God’s instruction to sacrifice his only son, then obeyed God’s command to abort the mission, and then arrived home to find that his wife passed away after hearing about his actions.
After this emotionally and physically trying day, all Abraham wanted to do was give his wife a quick and proper burial. However, the owner of the burial cave, Ephron, was an extremely difficult person who gave Abraham a hard time. After refusing to sell Abraham the cave, he finally agreed to sell it, but at an unfair and astronomical price. Yet, even after such a difficult day, Abraham never lost his patience with Ephron and treated him with dignity and kindness. Abraham’s greatest test and his finest moment was showing kindness despite his difficulties.
Have you ever had a hard day only to encounter a challenging person in the grocery store, your office, or your home? It can be difficult to stay patient and kind when we are already feeling stressed and worn out. Yet, we need to leave our personal difficulties behind and treat each person with kindness—no matter how difficult another person might be.
It takes practice, but like Abraham, when we do succeed, it may very well be our finest moment.
