Imagine a nice fellow who owns a shirt company in Dallas Texas. The man is very successful in business and content from life in general. One day he gets an offer from an Australian shirt manufacturer with an offer to become their new C.E.O. the package includes a salary 20 times the amount he was earning from his current job, plus a new home. With his expertise in the field he would become the most sought out adviser in the shirt industry in all of Australia.

Obviously, he has a tremendous amount to gain by making the move, he is being guaranteed money, fame etc…… isn’t it the most logical decision for him to make? Would it be surprising if he moved to this new place?

If so, then we have to ask ourselves why is Avraham Avinu given so much credit for being omed/withstanding this nesoyon/test of lech lecha? Hashem promised him money, fame, children and lots more; so why shouldn’t he move?

In order to understand this we must first study Avrahams personality a bit. We know that Avraham was the pillar of chessed , kindness. At this point in his life his father was old in age and most probably needed help with his daily activities. No doubt Avraham was there for him all the time, for Avraham to forsake him so to speak, was going against everything he stood for, his whole personality, yet when commanded to do so he did it. Hence we can see his greatness and devotion to Hashem. If we follow this chain of thought we find that his other nisyonos as well are of the same fiber, in the opposite direction of chessed.

For one to go against his nature and who he is-  is truly hard.

(Based on Rav Dessler)