So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. (Gen 16,4)

And so the Abrams celebrated again... This time not like after the covenant, when Abram firmly believed that the dream child would come, surely soon. But then that was really just an idea, they had nothing solid in their hands and after a few months their elation began to turn to gloom as the fleeting cloud of hope gradually dissipated. But now it was something tangible, visible - the baby was finally on the way! For both Abram and Sarah, there was a feeling of immense satisfaction, even relief. They would no longer lose the most important thing for which they had waited for so many years.

But alas! Very quickly after the first waves of satisfaction, the cracks of their joy appeared again. Hagar, who had only ever been in the position of a slave in the whole house of Abram, realized how her value had risen and began to behave differently. Her self-confidence grew, as if she were almost mistress of the house; for it was she who would give her master the most important thing that "his one" had never given him. Hagar knew her husband and he now treats her differently than before. She can be fully aware of her worth to him; she is duly privileged among the slaves and servants in the house. And Sarah? Who would need her for anything at all?

Abram found himself in sort of a trap. He longed for the time when Hagar would bear him a child, hoping it would be a son. At the same time, he noticed the tension between Sarah and Hagar and how their conflicts were escalating. He would have taken immediate action against anyone else - no one would have dared to behave towards their mistress in the same way as Hagar, it was unprecedented. But he was only feeling his weakness - how could he deal harshly a woman from whom he was expecting the most precious thing?

In the midst of the daily conflicts, the joy they had briefly felt was beginning to fade from Abram's home. Abram often sighed, and in fleeting moments he began to realize the truth of the saying "stolen water is sweet..." (Prov. 9:17). Still, he hoped that, despite its present bitterness, it would eventually be able to satisfy his thirst.