Beyond the Weekend: Finding Hope in Family Conflict
In Finding Hope in Family Conflict, Pastor Jeff Manion and other teachers examines the life of Jacob. This series helps us see we make many of the same mistakes as Jacob. Like God does with Jacob, he is patient with us and continues to draw us closer to him. When we learn to rely completely upon God, we are more able to successfully navigate the conflicts in our own life.
We want IT
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Genesis 29:20
Read: Genesis 29:15-20
Listen: Genesis 29
TODAY'S MESSAGE
Jacob was quite used to chasing after IT. We see at least three instances in his life where he wants something and is willing to manipulate and move mountains to obtain IT. And he succeeds. He tricks his brother Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of soup. He tricks his blind father into giving him Esau’s blessing. Now he has set his eyes on Rachel. It’s almost like the text is screaming, “Watch out Laban, don’t let Jacob trick you too!”
Surprisingly, Jacob doesn’t trick Laban. Instead, he simply offers the exorbitant sum of seven years’ worth of his work to marry Rachel.
In some respects this is good. His desire to make Rachel his wife is noble. He plans to get her through honest work. But his life is a mess of his own making, and he knows it. He probably thinks perhaps things will be okay if he works hard to make Rachel his wife. The problem is that Jacob is still chasing the next IT—the next thing to make him happy.
Of course, Jacob is not alone in this. It’s easy to find ourselves chasing after the next IT. We think, “Once I get ___, I can live happily ever after.” When I have a boyfriend/girlfriend, get married, have kids, get my kids to behave, own my own house, pay off my house, get a job in my field, secure that promotion or fully fund my retirement—then I’ll be content. Maybe we’ve never said it aloud, but we obsess about and constantly fill our minds thinking about IT.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Set aside a few minutes and journal today. Write the sentence, “If I get/have ______, finally I will be happy.” Then spend a few minutes asking God to reveal things about your heart that you may not be aware of. Write down a list of things you can place in the blank. Bring these before your Father, confessing that sometimes your hope is more in IT than it is in him.
Want a verse reminder? Click on the photo below to "save image as" to set for the lock screen or home screen on your mobile device. Or, write it out on a sticky note or 3x5 card and place it on your bathroom mirror, car dashboard or school locker.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
