What is the Real Ask?

Description

This morning I’m wrestling with one of the most difficult stories in the Bible: The near-sacrifice of Isaac. Let’s explore not just what’s happening in the narrative, but what God is really asking of us in our lives. It may seem at first like God wants us to give up something precious, even a part of ourselves that feels holy and good. But as I reflect more deeply, I realize the real ask isn’t about giving up what’s beautiful in us. It’s about letting go of the ego’s need to be right, the rigid binaries of good or evil, and embracing a softer, more loving way of seeing. Swedenborg writes that the Divine never tests us, but instead gently leads us through appearances into truth (Secrets of Heaven §2764). What needs to be sacrificed is not the “Isaac” in us. The innocent joy, the humor, the uniqueness. But the inner arguments and self-justifications that keep us from love and usefulness. This is the work of regeneration, the movement from outer symbols to inner clarity, from sacrifice to understanding. And that’s something God never forces. It’s what unfolds when we finally ask the deeper question: what is the real ask?