Sarah’s Trial

By Carol Rollins

I’m 26, almost 27 …

all of my friends are married,

sisters have children

and the few I’m

compatible with

become fewer …

 Now Sarai,

 Abram’s wife, bare him no children.

maybe

if I

reordered my priorities …

 And she had a handmaid,

 an Egyptian,

 whose name was Hagar.

 And Sarai said

 unto Abram,

 Behold, now, the Lord

 hath restrained me from bearing;

 I pray thee go in

 unto my maid;

 it may be

 that I may obtain children by her. …

 and Sarah

 saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian,

 which Hagar had borne unto Abraham,

 mocking;

 and she was troubled.

yes,

I know what the

Patriarch

blessed me with …

 And God said unto Abraham,

 as for Sarai thy wife,

 thou shalt not call her name Sarai,

 but Sarah thou shalt call her name.

 And I will bless her,

 And I will give thee a son of her;

 yea, I will bless her,

 and she shall be blessed,

 The mother of nations;

 kings and peoples shall be of her.

… with

and for

mate,

children,

posterity, and the Temple …

 And God said, Sarah thy wife

 shall bear thee a son,

 and thou shalt call his name Isaac;

 and I will establish

 my covenant with him also. …

and I want my children

raised, blessed, healed

by their father, a

covenanted patriarch … but

I want children! …

and I’m afraid

to wait

until I’m ninety … I don’t

believe … they

know what it’s like … asking

me to wait … and remain

single …

 Sarah thy wife shall have a son.

 And Sarah heard him,

 in the tent door.

 And now

 Abraham and Sarah being old,

 and stricken in age;

 therefore it had ceased to be with Sarah

 after the manner of women;

 Therefore

 Sarah laughed within herself,

 saying,

 After I have waxed old shall I have pleasure,

 my lord being old also?

but Bishop …

“I bless

you if you will trust

in the Lord, waiting

His due time …”

 And the angel of the Lord

 said unto Abraham,

 Wherefore did Sarah laugh,

 saying,

 Shall I of a surety bear a child,

 which am old?

perhaps he’s not

right with the Church, but …

I love him!

 and Sarah laughed within herself

 and her faith waned …

“but …”

but

 Is anything too hard for the Lord

 And Abraham was an hundred years old,

 when his son Isaac was born

 unto him.

 And Sarah said,

 God has made me to rejoice;

 and also all that know me will rejoice with me.

 And she said unto Abraham,

 Who would have said that Sarah

 should have given children suck?

 For I was barren,

 but the Lord promised,

 and I have borne unto Abraham

 a son in his old age.

(Scripture references from Inspired Version of the Bible, Genesis 16–21.)