Genesis 30:15 = "But Leah angrily replied, 'Wasn't it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son's mandrakes, too?' Rachel answered, 'I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.'"
Sibling rivalries are nothing new. They go all the way back to the beginning of time. Here are just a few Cain/Abel, Ishmael/Isaac, Esau/Jacob and here Leah and Rachel. These kind of things can reek havoc on families. As parents or in the case here as a spouse we have one of two options: 1. Encourage the behavior or 2. Seek resolve.
Jacob is a prime example. This behavior is encouraged by him and the choices he makes. First, he favors Rachel over Leah and later he favors Joseph over the rest of his sons, which leads to another rivalry.
Most of us are no strangers to sibling rivalries either as kids growing up or as parents seeing our kids fuss and fight. I am appreciative of the relationship I have with my sister and the fact that we do get along, even though we had our moments as kids. I won't go into detail here...
However, I believe whatever our role as parents/spouses etc., God wants us to be the later of the two decisions. I believe that God wants us to be resolve seekers and peacemakers and not encouragers of rivalries when it comes to family relationships.
No comments:
Post a Comment