"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!"

"And Abimelech said to Abraham, 'What were you thinking of, that you did this thing?'"

(Genesis 20:10)

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?" Every kid has heard this question asked hundreds of times - usually by his/her own parents. When we're young we often act without thinking... and have to learn as we make poor choices. But it's not only young people who act without thinking (or make poor decisions). We adults have our moments, too.

Abraham is one of the "founding fathers" of the Hebrew Scriptures. He's often seen as a pinnacle of faithfulness. But even he had his share of "what were you thinking" moments.

When he and Sarah moved through the wilderness, twice he passed Sarah off as his "sister," instead of his wife. Why? He was worried that other men would find her so desirous that they'd want her and kill him to get her. The 2nd occasion of this "she's my sister" moment occurred in Genesis 20. King Abimelech of Gerar saw how beautiful Sarah was, and "took her" (note: no coercion is implied in the passage). Then God informed the King that he was with a "married woman" (and God was going to hold him accountable for his actions!). of course, the king thought she was single (and told God so!)... and he hadn't consummated their relationship yet... so he "returned" Sarah to Abraham. "What were you thinking?!!" asked the king. Great question.

Abraham was worried about himself. About his own personal safety and security. So he didn't own up to his marriage. Dang. He obviously wasn't thinking about Sarah's health, safety, and well-being. Then again, this was at a time when women were seen as property to be passed from one male to another.

But we've all been there, haven't we (okay, maybe not passing our wives off as our sisters...). We've all made decisions because we were worried about our own health and safety... oftentimes without consulting God for wisdom and guidance. We make choices thinking that it's in our own best interests... but we can only see so far. God has a much broader vision.

So before we make our next half-baked decision (that may cause others to later say, 'What were you thinking?!?'), let's spend some time asking God for wisdom and direction. It could go a long way to our overall peace and happiness.