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An Unlikely Christmas Story: A Mountain and A Sacrifice
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 by Sarah Schwerin

Categories: Life Lessons

Abraham climbed the mountain, each step heavier than the last. His muscles ached, not because of the exertion—he was used to hard work. They ached from the burden of what God had asked him to do.

Isaac walked ahead of him; shoulders squared beneath a load of wood. He glanced back at his father.

Abraham returned the smile and clung tighter to his walking stick. He didn’t want to stumble in front of his son. In that moment, he could only concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, just as he’d been doing for most of his life.

How many years had he walked with God? Too many to count. Most of that time, he never knew where the journey would lead. He stumbled often along the way and taken many wrong turns. Yet, God had patiently guided him.

Since he began following God, Abraham had given up many things. He had let go of his first son and surrendered countless hopes along the way. Yet, he’d clung to God’s promises—just as he now gripped the walking stick in his wrinkled hand.

And through it all, God remained faithful. God had rescued him from dangerous situations. God had always provided what he needed.

Then, God gave Abraham everything he’d ever wanted. His promised son finally arrived. Everything he had hoped and dreamed of seemed within reach. The waiting had ended.

But life had taken an unexpected turn. Now, God asked him for everything—his hopes, his dreams, and the treasure he cherished most: his only son, whom he loved.

Abraham reached the summit of the mountain all too soon. With tears streaming down his face, he bound his son to the altar. He offered everything he had to God, trusting somehow, someway, God would provide. Even when Abraham stood empty-handed, he believed God would make everything okay.

A spasm of pain filled his heart. Abraham’s arm shook as he raised the knife. Then, God called out and stopped him.

God provided a way out—a ram caught in a thicket, ready to take the place of Abraham’s beloved son.

God calls us to lay our hopes and dreams on the altar—not to destroy them, but to surrender them. But not just our hopes and dreams—God wants us to give him our family, our friends, and yes, even our sons and daughters. We are to lay them into God’s capable hands. When we journey with God and follow him up the hard mountains of life, we might be convinced we have nothing left to offer.

But it is when we have nothing left—when we have given everything to God—that is the moment He steps in and gives us what He gave to Abraham.

He provides a way out—a lamb in place of everything we love. The Lamb of God, His only Son—Jesus Christ.

Because of all the bad things we’ve done, we can never have a relationship with God. But God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to live among us, suffer, die, and then come back to life so we could share the same peace, joy, and eternal life Abraham experienced. When we follow God, we don’t have to worry about all the things we’ve lost along the way. We may rest in the fact that God will walk with us. He feels our tired muscles and hears our cries of pain. God is ready to be in a relationship with us and give us his promised gift of joy, peace, and eternal life.

This holiday season, consider what you might need to sacrifice so you can walk closer to the one who provided His only Son for you.

If you find yourself standing on your own mountaintop with empty arms, invite God to fill them with His loving presence.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17, NLT).

*Read Genesis 22 for the complete story.

*Photo courtesy pixabay.com.

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