I grew up memorizing Psalm 23. But knowing the words by heart is not the same as understanding them in my heart.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Familiar words—but growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, shepherding sheep was far removed from my everyday life.

What helped me connect? Thinking about a baby’s dependence on a loving caregiver for nourishment, protection, comfort, and guidance. That familiar picture helped me appreciate the care described in this verse.

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And here is what challenged me: I have not outgrown my need for the Shepherd. Education, military service, motherhood, and becoming a physician have not changed that.

“I shall not want” speaks to trusting God’s provision, rather than receiving everything I desire.

In the video above, I explore these connections and what they mean for everyday faith. That is the heart of **MIMS—Making It Make Sense:** asking honest questions, understanding Scripture, and drawing closer to God.

Where in your life do you find it hardest to trust the Shepherd’s care?

On Human Context — The Musings of an Oncologist | Reflections on medicine, meaning, resilience, and the lives we carry forward…

Friday Food for Thought

Where have I confused loyalty with obedience?

MUSINGS: What have I brought with me into this season that God never actually told me to carry? And am I obeying His instruction — or editing it to protect what I am afraid to release?

The Original Directive — Genesis 12:1

God told Abram: “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household.”

Three things. Country. People. Father’s household.

Lot was his nephew — son of his deceased brother Haran. So in one sense, Lot was part of the household. And yet — nowhere in the text does God say “bring Lot.” Genesis 12:4 simply says “Lot went with him.” No divine instruction attached to that.

That distinction matters a lot in the obedience conversation.

The Problems That Followed

Once Abram took Lot, a chain of complications followed:

• Genesis 13 — Their combined flocks and herds grew so large there wasn’t enough land. Strife broke out between their herdsmen. It forced a separation.

• Lot chose Sodom — He picked the lush, well-watered plain toward Sodom, a city described almost immediately as exceedingly wicked. That choice said something about Lot’s discernment.

• Genesis 14 — Because Lot was in Sodom, he got caught up in a regional war and was captured. Abram had to mobilize 318 trained men to go rescue him. That’s now Abram’s problem — a problem that originated from a person he wasn’t told to bring.

• Genesis 18-19 — When God reveals He’s about to destroy Sodom, Abraham intercedes specifically because Lot is there. He’s now negotiating with God partly over the consequences of a decision he made back in chapter 12.

• Lot’s rescue and aftermath — The angels had to practically drag Lot’s family out. His wife looked back. His daughters, traumatized and isolated, made decisions that produced Moab and Ammon — two nations that would be thorns in Israel’s side for generations.

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The Obedience Analysis

The theological tension here is this:

God said leave your people and your father’s household. Lot represented a thread of connection to exactly what God said to release. Abram didn’t defy God — but he edited the directive. And edited obedience has a long track record of producing complicated fruit.

Some scholars and teachers land here:

Others argue:

Both interpretations have merit. But what’s hard to argue against is the consequence trail. Whether or not Lot was “wrong” to bring, the presence of Lot created repeated interruptions, diversions, and heartache in Abram’s journey.

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The Principle Worth Sitting With

“Who or what am I still carrying simply because letting go feels too costly?”

Sometimes what God doesn’t mention in a directive is just as significant as what He does. When He says go — He may already know what you need to leave behind in order to go fully. The people, attachments, and loyalties we add to the assignment can become the very complications that slow or complicate the promise.

Abram still became Abraham. God’s plan was not stopped. But Lot’s story is a long, complicated, painful one — and much of it traces back to a single unasked-for addition to an otherwise clear call.

A Gentle Note:

Until next time — live, laugh, and love on purpose.

Your family-friendly cancer doctor,

Queen

https://Q4CD.com

https://QueenQuanta.com