Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” Genesis 25:28

The mother in me wants to know why Rebekah loved Jacob but not Esau.  Did his abnormal amount of hair repel her?  Did he do something as a young boy that she was unable to forgive?  Was it simply that she didn’t have a taste for wild game?  She momentarily piques my curiosity until I am reminded that favoritism is a human condition, one that is noted even in the lives of the few women we’ve studied so far.  Hagar wasn’t favored.  Neither was Leah.  Even Isaac, a patriarch of the faith, gave his affection only to one of his two sons.

What are we to do?  If favoritism dates back so long ago, should we admit defeat to its power?  Absolutely not!  All I can do is desperately cling to my life verse:

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” Ephesians 1:18, emphasis mine

My eyes still fail me even after aides such as LASIK and contacts.  My vision continues to deteriorate, and emotions, prejudices and biases further interpret the ways in which I “see” people.  God, please help me to use the eyes of my heart—the eyes that I trust you to enlighten—in order that I may see others the way you see them.  Show me the areas in which favoritism distorts my vision.  Help me see past fame, wealth, race and beauty.  Infuse me with your love for my kids so that I may transmit that love to them equally.

For God does not show favoritism.” Romans 2:11

I like Rachel. She’s strong, clever, resourceful, and not lacking in initiative. A woman who can stand on her own two feet and navigate life’s different obstacles with grace and fortitude. Rachel does this from our first meeting in Genesis 24, and she’s earned my respect and admiration. However, with every strength there is an associate weakness. And Rebekah is no exception.

“Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, ‘Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau … Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you…’”

Resourceful, yes. And sneaky. I don’t know if you noticed, but check out how Rebekah referred to the three most important people in her life:

Esau: “… your brother”
Isaac: “… your father”
Jacob: “… my son”

Initiative without sincere love and respect for others can turn into a human bulldozer. Once Rebekah stopped being concerned for the other two men in her life, she justified manipulating them in order to accomplish her plans for the third. Her little way of helping God along with His plan. As if. It made quite a mess, damaging multiple relationships in the process. All because allowing initiative to run rampant without restraint.

What in the world does this have to do with us? Well, ever found yourself taking matters into your own hands, maybe even bull-dozing through a few people, in order to get to a desired end goal? I HAVE. Too many times to count. My initiative showed love for self, but lacked a little gentle loving for the others involved. My eyes were so narrowly focused I remained unaware and unconcerned with the real people around me.

Go ahead. Have some initiative. Show resourcefulness. Be a strong, determined, get-things-done kind of woman. But do it without tearing up the landscape in the process.

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” ~ Proverbs 25:28