Elephant in the Room — The Pain in Our Families - Friday
Today’s Verse
Genesis 25:34
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. (ESV)
Serving with the next generation is an endless opportunity for humility and discernment. With school underway for a new year, I’m reminded that this is the first new semester in basically ten years that I’m not also starting right alongside the students. I walked through elementary, middle, and high school with a group of boys that changed over time, with some joining, some moving away, and some stepping out.
Even the boys who stayed through it all still changed year by year, season by season. Kids turned to teenagers, middle school turned to high school, and questions about faith and life moved from simple to super complex. The group and the people in it shifted.
One thing never changed, and is still a reminder I need often, and that’s identity clarity. The only guarantee was that each of us needed a consistent reminder of whose we were, rather than who we are. Who each kid was changed often, whether they became an athlete, middle schooler, good-grade-getter, high schooler, or graduate. The thing that often gets confused during those different seasons is that no matter what, we’re still children of God.
Today’s verse tells us that Esau “despised” his birthright. He lost sight of who he was and the inheritance he carried. In the same way, it’s easy for us to trade away our true identity in Christ for something temporary. Yet James reminds us that wanderers can be brought back (James 5:19-20). Paul assures us that God Himself supplies what we lack (Philippians 4:19). And David writes that the Lord is merciful and gracious, abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 86:15). Our identity and security are not rooted in seasons, labels, or heritage, but in the God who never changes.
APPLICATION
This week, take a step that shapes identity: both yours and someone else’s. Serve the next generation by volunteering in Southland Kids or Southland Students. Refocus on God by showing up at First Wednesday Worship.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that my identity is secure in You. Keep me from trading what is lasting for what is temporary. Supply what I lack with Your love, and use me to point others toward their true inheritance in You.
