Joseph: Breaking the Cycle of the Crazy
Have you ever wondered if the situation you’re in could be changed to something better? You saw your parents not doing a good job of handling a similar problem and now you watch your children assuming some of the same characteristics that led to your situation. For many years Joseph dealt with the result of his brothers’ hatred. He saw the true outcome of this family problem when he said to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” With God’s help you, too, can change your family situation and be able to say the same thing—“God intended it all for good.”
Noah: Resting from the Crazy
Sometimes the craziness is unavoidable. Schedules, weather, interruptions, and projects pile up within the family to the point that it seems like there is no time to rest. And yet, It is during those same times that God can provide rest for those who lean into him. The rest may come right in the middle of what seems busiest, but our rest is found in the Lord.
Abraham: Trusting God in the Crazy
Trusting may take us outside of our normal way of thinking or responding. Often, we talk about trust, but show limits and express hesitation when faced with doing something that requires our trust. And in crazy times, trust may take on a strange dimension. Abraham trusted and feared God and was tested. God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering on a mountain. Sacrificing his only son whom he loved is a powerful test. Though it was an extreme test, Abraham trusted in God and set out to fulfill His directions. It was not until the last second, as Abraham raised his knife to slay his son, that God intervened. An angel of the Lord came down at that moment and called out, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Genesis 22:12 Abraham was boldly and supremely tested and he displayed his full trust in God. What may be expected of us in the midst of the crazy so that we may fully trust in God?
Jacob and Esau: Planning for the Crazy
Do you see what you have or simply pay attention to what other people have and achieve? That’s how greed and jealousy get into your life. They bring out the worst in you. These emotions are at the heart of the story of Jacob and Esau, serving to ruin the relationship between these two brothers. Jealousy and greed are natural instincts. Both emotions can become lethal. They hide our insecurity, shame or a need to possess things. However, you can manage how you react. If ignorance is the mother of all poisons, then wisdom is the universal antidote. Wisdom comes from recognizing what God has given you instead of yearning for what He has given to others.