But Rebekah Loved Jacob

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