Today’s scripture: Genesis 28:1-9 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ciemone Easter-Rose):
When I was a kid, I was fortunate to have known and had a wonderful relationship with my great-grandmother. She was my favorite person for several reasons: (1) she was present, (2) she let me know I was loved, and (3) she never judged or criticized me. In spite of our 70-year age difference, she was someone I always felt that I could completely connect with. Her phone number was the first number I ever learned by heart, and I loved calling her. She always knew just what to say, and while she was never really an advice-giver, she did drop a couple of nuggets of wisdom and guidance upon me from time to time. The last time I saw my great-grandmother, I was disheartened to see that she wasn’t doing very well. Visits with her had changed a lot over the years. We used to spend hours playing card games, talking, laughing, and joking. But as she’d gotten sicker, the game time diminished, and most of my final visits with her were spent with her barely conscious. One day, on a whim, I pulled out a deck of cards for the first time in years, and asked her if we could play. I honestly didn’t think she would be up for it, but somehow she rallied for me. It was our last game, and I’ll never forget it. We had our last phone conversation a week later. At the end of our call, she left me with some parting words: “Be good honey; and if you can’t be good, at least be careful.” I still smile at that.
When I was about 15 years old, my great-grandmother asked me if I wanted to grow up to be a doctor like my Dad. She told a story about how when he was only three years old, he had declared his career aspiration to her and never looked back. I could tell she was really proud of him, and I wanted her to be proud of me too. At the time, I was considering a number of different careers, so I told her I wasn’t sure. In response to my uncertainty, she told me very encouragingly that I could be whatever I wanted as long as it made me happy! I was almost relieved until she paused and added — just don’t become a lawyer! She went on to say some unmentionable things about lawyers after that, and although I was somewhat taken aback and confused by her vehemence on the topic — I decided to honor her request, and I promised that I would never pursue that career path (even though secretly, it had been of interest to me). She’s been gone now for over 15 years, but it’s still important to me that I make her proud. I imagine that it was important to Esau to please his father in a similar way. Thankfully, I hadn’t yet set out on my career path when I’d learned of my great-grandmother’s wishes. If I had, I would have made an abrupt about face, much like Esau did when he found out about his father’s wishes! Having her approval just meant that much to me. Few people know this, but my great-grandmother is the reason that I decided to give my life to Christ. I’m not just living to please my great-grandmother anymore though. My first priority now is to God, and something tells me, that would be much more important to her anyway.
Question for the Day: Sometimes it’s helpful to evaluate our motivations. Start by asking yourself how many times you have done (or not done) something for the approval of someone else. Next, consider how many of those times was it for God?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.