Here We Go Again . . .

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

Genesis 37:3

Jacob's parents, Isaac and Rebekah, had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Each parent had a favorite: Isaac preferred Esau, while Rebekah loved Jacob the most (Genesis 25:28). Thus began a painful division within the family of Jacob, a schism that led to years of hatred and alienation between the two brothers.

One might think that Jacob would have learned his lesson about the downside of a parent preferring one child over another. But, as is often the case, rather than learning from the mistakes of his parents, the adult child replicates them. Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers and doted on him. It comes as no surprise that his brothers hated Joseph in return, and wouldn't even speak kindly to him. Jacob has set up his children for an inter-family schism that can only be mended by God's amazing grace.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you ever find yourself replicating behavior that you had hoped to leave behind? If you are a parent with more than one child, do you prefer one of your children? Is it time for you to realign your parental priorities?

PRAYER: Dear Father in heaven, how easy it is for us to imitate our parents. Sometimes this is great. But sometimes we do the very things that our parents did that harmed our families, including ourselves. Help us, dear Lord, to see our behavior clearly, through your eyes. May we consciously and gratefully imitate our parents in all ways that are good. But where our parents fell short, help us to walk in new ways. May we seek to imitate you, Heavenly Father, above all. Amen.