The story of Abraham and Sarah should give us hope. In my birth I was spared from death by the hand of God. My journey from "one who has been spared" to "one who spares/saves lives" has been a road of transformed identity. I used to always be the receiver of blessings.

Now-I am a receiver and a giver. Once I was only a "stranger, out of place, and not belonging".

Now-I am one who welcomes in those who are strange, cast out, and do not feel they belong.

God wants to transform your desolation, your unfulfilled longings, and your painful places into a garden of pleasure. He wants to make your dry bones a mighty army. What Abraham and Sarah offers is not a three step system, but rather a look at the journey of two fellow sojourners. Your story will be your own, as is mine, but we can identify with Abraham and Sarah, and if we will tune our ear to the Spirit, we may find some guidance in our own journeys from desolation to desired end.