Elephant in the Room — The Pain in Our Families - Wednesday
Today’s Verse
Genesis 25:29-30a
Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (ESV)
With a six-month-old, my wife and I don’t get out too often. We actually preferred simple nights at home even before Dean’s arrival; now, we just have a really great built-in excuse! Most nights, if we can carve out an hour and a half, we’ll watch a movie together while Dean snoozes. Recently, I’ve been paying closer attention to the tropes and dynamics in those movies. Whether it’s on-screen or in real life, I think we can all agree that dinner tables have a way of telling the truth about a family.
Sometimes they’re like the breakfast table in Cheaper by the Dozen: noisy, with five conversations happening at once (and a frog making a splash). Others feel more like Mrs. Doubtfire: everyone smiling through the meal while deep down, everyone knows things are changing, and no one knows how to talk about it (but hopefully, help is on the way). And then there are times straight out of Home Alone: a table packed with people and noise, but somehow someone still feels completely invisible.
Obviously, the “table” doesn’t have to be an actual dining room table. It could be the couch where everyone piles in to watch TV, the bleachers at a game, the kitchen counter where quick conversations happen, or even a group text thread. Wherever your family gathers, that’s your table. And more often than not, it’s at those “tables” that unsatisfied appetites show up. Hunger for attention, hunger for control, hunger for love. Like Esau, we can feel so empty that we’re ready to trade away something precious for immediate relief. And when we don’t know what to do with our appetites and hunger, they often spill out in exaggerated emotions. For me, that often looks like angry outbursts, silent treatments, and sarcastic jabs.
Paul reminds us of a different way. In Philippians 4:11-12 he says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Contentment is the opposite of Esau’s reaction to his appetite. It’s the choice to let God satisfy us instead of demanding someone at the table fill the gap.
APPLICATION
If we don’t pay attention, our hunger for attention, control, or comfort can blow up in ways we regret. But those same appetites can be retrained. What if we actually started craving time with God instead of just craving whatever’s right in front of us?
One simple way to try that is by making space for worship with others. On September 3, we’re gathering for First Wednesday Worship at each of our campuses. Prioritize locking in an hour of worship, prayer, and reading scripture to help reset what you’re running after. Come on your own, bring a friend, or show up as a family!
PRAYER
Lord, help my family to invite You to the table. We want You present in the joy, the need, the conflict, and especially in the hunger for more. Teach us to find contentment in You.
