Some Reflective Questions:
1. Whom did each parent favor of the twins and why?
2. Have you ever seen this in a family? What did this do to the relationships between the preferential child and the other parent, siblings and even God?
3. Do you relate to your own children in the same way?
4. How do you understand one child better than another and yet not show favoritism?
5. What about parenting a child with special needs or is chronically ill? How do you meet that child's needs without favoring one over the other?
6. What does the bible teach us about our responsibilities as parents or as a woman who has some impact over the lives of children?
This week we will will be learning more about how these twin boys lives were shaped and molded by the influences of their parents. This story is such a story of drama within a household. It is a story of manipulation, deception and rationalization. How easy it is was to read the story of this family and be shocked by how they all treated each other, but to forget how easy and often we are confronted with the same situations within our own families. Yet the overriding outcome of all this drama, manipulation and pain was that God always honors his promises, no matter what, even when we do not.
Numbers 23:19 says. "God is no mere human! He doesn't tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises."
This family had two parents, both Rebekah and Isaac were part of raising the twins ( Esau and Jacob), yet it appears that they both were not on the same page as far as parenting strategies. In addition, Jacob and Esau each had assumed typical life styles for their culture at that time, one as a hunter and one as a shepherd. Liz Curtis Higgs in the video shared the mystery of raising children who are of the same parents yet two can be so totally different. I can so relate to this, having two girls so close together in age, yet they are totally opposite of each other in so many ways. I have always joked about being amazed how they could both of been from me, especially given that for a great deal of their lives it was just the three of us. But again I did not have their individual plans, I just carried what was given to me by God. God already knew what each of them would become.
God is very clear in his teaching us our responsibilities as parents.
1. Keep all his commands
2. That we need to immerse ourselves in God's word so that we can teach our children his word.
3. Do not discipline our children out of anger but out of God's instruction.
2. "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and mind; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk down the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many." Deuteronomy 11: 18 -21
3. "Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the way of the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
WOW, as the Mom of grown Women, this would of made things easier, if I would of been more focused on how God wanted me to raise these little people he entrusted me with versus trying to do it on my own many times.
Yet, each of us as we reach adulthood, have to opportunity to allow God's plan to move forward for our lives no matter what decisions are parents have made for us whether good or bad. God will always honor his promises to us.
Spend this week focusing on the reflective questions, dig into God's word, can you find other places God has given us clear instruction on parenting? Share with others what the reflections raised in your own heart. See you next week for more as we dig into Trusting God's Promises and experiencing his blessings.
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