𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞?
When people hear Hagar’s name, they often remember her as the 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧, the 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭, or the 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐞𝐥.
Some even call her a second choice.
But was Hagar truly a second choice?
𝐍𝐨.
𝐇𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
She did not ask to be placed in Sarah’s plan.
She did not decide the promise should come through her. She was a servant who had little power to refuse.
The choices were made by others, yet she carried the weight of their decisions.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞?
Yet what is most beautiful about Hagar’s story is this, although she was caught in a situation she did not create, God did not overlook her.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫.
𝐇𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞. He listened to her pain. He gave her hope and a future for her son.
Hagar’s story reminds us that while we may become the victims of another person’s poor decisions, we are never forgotten by God.
Sometimes, we are living with consequences we never chose.
But even there, in the wilderness of someone else’s mistake, God still sees. God still hears. God still provides.
𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧.
Hagar’s story is a reminder that God’s compassion reaches those who are overlooked, even when they are caught in the consequences of decisions they did not make.
(c) Gwen Gonhuran
