Many of us have devalued ourselves. We are constantly thinking of how to take a shortcut to get to where we are going. Some of us are drowning in debt having bought a house to rival our neighbors, bought clothes from designers that are not worth the cost to produce them or even eating food that does not nourish us. We are constantly rushing to get to where we believe we should be professionally or personally.
When I think of this, I am reminded of the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25.
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. -Genesis 25:29-34
Jacob stole Esau’s blessing because he could not wait for his. Instead, he deceived his father, Isaac, into blessing him by making him think he was Esau. One could argue that Esau was also to blame since he despised his birthright. Esau was a flawed person and Jacob may very well have been the best to lead the family but he was not the firstborn. He knew that even though Esau had sold him his birthright he still needed Isaac’s blessing. He may have been able to achieve the blessing had he done it honestly. We all can probably relate to Jacob’s ambition and have probably lost a blessing because we didn’t think it was ours to have. Maybe we weren’t sure we could do the job or didn’t listen to God’s message to connect with someone that would have blessed us.
Are you like Esau and giving or selling your blessings away? Maybe you’re like Jacob, rushing for something that is not for you right now. These are the lessons we can learn from the story of Jacob and Esau. Why rush for something that God has already blessed you with? You may not see it now but surely it will come to fruition. As you fast think about what blessings you may have given away. Why did you let them go? What did you learn from letting them go? Think about what you are rushing to accomplish. Why are you rushing? Why are you not content with God’s timing? Pray that you may receive more blessings and that you will use discernment moving forward.
