Elephant in the Room — The Pain in Our Families - Tuesday
Today’s Verse
Genesis 25:27-28
When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (ESV)
Jon mentioned this in his message, and it becomes clear throughout the story of Jacob and Esau, that their parents really weren’t helping things. Genesis 25:28 shows the issue clearly: “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” They were playing favorites, and their favoritism fueled fractures in their family. Like we talked about yesterday, Jacob and Esau had been stoking the fire of their rivalry from birth through adulthood, and their parents’ choices only added fuel to this fire.
Proverbs 17:14 says, “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.” To clarify, the wording here for “letting out water” isn’t like a drip from a faucet; it’s a flood bursting through a dam. I believe that’s how family fractures work, too. What starts as cracks of resentment, favoritism, or unforgiveness eventually gives way to full-blown chaos downstream.
Most likely, no one in Jacob and Esau’s family set out to cause harm and destruction. Their parents probably thought they were just supporting each son’s interests and protecting their unique talents. But little by little, they chipped away at their kids’ confidence and identity in a way that made rivalry the family’s inheritance. The same is true for us. Our family’s fractures don’t tend to start with screaming matches and empty seats at the dinner table. More often, they start with hidden anger and unresolved wrongs. We would do well to stop pretending the cracks aren’t there. The question is whether we’ll let them grow into a flood or invite God to meet us in the dysfunction and help us patch them.
APPLICATION
Take an honest inventory this week: Where are the “cracks” in your family? Where have you added weight to those cracks, even unintentionally? Some things may not even be your fault, but they’re still yours to face with God’s help. Ask Him to show you one step you can take to patch the fractures instead of ignoring them. Don’t wait for the flood.
PRAYER
Lord, help me not to get caught up in arguments or add to tension in my family. Teach me how to bring peace instead of more problems. Give me wisdom to strengthen relationships and do my part to keep our family healthy and whole.
