So getting married in less than a week has taken quite a bit of my time, and I didn't get my reflections posted for the past two days. So sorry! Better late than never, here they are:
Friday's reading:
The scriptures spend a lot more time on Jacob than they do Esau. Perhaps that's because we are more like Jacob than Esau. We are more apt to cheat our way into a blessing, to do things that we not are not right, to flee from our wrongdoings, to wrestle with God in the middle of angst-filled nights. We might be Jacobs, but it's Esau I'd rather be. No, we wouldn't want our families to hurt or be dishonest with us, to cheat us out of an inheritance. It would be awful to feel like you've played by the rules, and been cheated by your own mom and brother. Yet over time, Esau didn't let revenge or anger overtake him. He moved on. He made a life for himself - and when he heard that his brother was coming back - after two decades - he ran out to welcome him home. Jacob was right in thinking that Esau might want to kill him - but Esau had long before chosen forgiveness over revenge. May we all live like Esau!
Saturday's reading:
I guess today, I take from Joseph's story the same thing I take from Esau. We can choose to let anger and revenge take hold of our hearts, or we can choose to be free from those chains, and live a life of forgiveness. I am amazed at some of the hurtful things that people can do or say, even to their family - the people they are supposed to love the most. And it can be a challenge to choose a way other than vengence. It takes a lot more strength to love someone than to despise or hate them. It's the harder path, but the better path to take. That's what I need to be remembering these days. It's hard, but it's better.
- Melanie
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