1/22/2020 0 Comments Soups OnI have always found the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew absurdly sad. Who would do something so recklessly ridiculous? It makes no sense. Likewise, the stories in numbers that ramble on repetitively about who brought what and how much it weighed seem absurdly exact and boring. I have been thinking that the two things are actually opposite sides of the same coin. The first story is a head scratcher. How could anyone be so stupid? Self-control and patience clearly weren’t high priorities is young Esau’s life. Jacob comes across as a predatory lender, charging way too high a price for something that the impatient, immature buyer just has to have right now. Taking advantage of his older brother’s nature may have gotten him what he wanted, but set a bad precedent for his life. He was cheated and mistreated for twenty years by his father-in-law. I have shamelessly judges Esau for years, until recently. I have begun to realize that I share more characteristics with him that I care to admit. I let my appetite for worldly pleasures dictate what I do more times than I would like to admit. For me, it's not a bowl of tasty stew that gets me to make careless choices, but a vanilla milkshake or dreamsicle might. I wouldn’t sell my birthright for some lentils, but in college I brought great pain to my family by turning my back on their standards. And how many times have I paid too much for something because I had to have it now? Like Esau, I forgot what was important, and settled for what was immediate. That desire for the latest, greatest whatever has caused great financial and emotional strain. Once again, I am dusting off my Dave Ramsey books and committing to the straight and narrow. Through my latest struggle, I have been praying and God has been talking. I have a firm plan for what I need to do, but it’s not an easy one. It’s tedious and monotonous and very hard, but I am determined. In fact, I have a determination that I haven’t possessed in years. I keep pressing into God, and He keeps guiding my steps. Like the Isrealites in the book of Numbers, I have a set of instructions. Every time I pray, I hear the same steps I must take. The Israelites wandered for forty years until they attuned their ears to God, and He had to lay out pretty clear instructions to get them to do what was needed. The boring litany of what they brought for sacrifice and offering prove that they eventually heard and received what God was offering. I need to do the same thing. My dessert wandering days are over. I am ready to move into the promised land. 2020 is my year to focus on God and the best life He wants for me, not the steaming bowl of stew that satisfies for only a moment.
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AuthorI am a Christian, a wife, a mom, and a part-time basket case who wants to be a full time writer.
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