Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Genesis 25:28

Once again, the blunt honesty of the biblical text commands our attention. Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. While Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob, Rebekah preferred Jacob, who was a stay-at-home sort of person.

Trouble is brewing in the house of Isaac. When parents choose favorites among their children, this can be a formula for disaster. Indeed, we'll see before long in Genesis how this parental divide causes a deep breach within the family.

Of course it's natural for human beings to have favorites. But parents need to love their children equally and express that love equitably. God, our Heavenly Father, helps parents to love as he loves, thus bringing health and wholeness to families.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Did your parents have "favorites"? How did this work itself out in your family? Are there people in your life, perhaps your children or your employees, whom you need to love with more equity?

PRAYER:  Dear Heavenly Father, when I read this verse from Genesis, I cringe. It's not only that I know where this story leads, but also that I have seen parental preferences wreak havoc in families.

Help me, Lord, to love my children in balanced and fair ways. May I see them as gifts from you and treasure them accordingly.

Bring healing to broken families, gracious Father. Today I pray especially for those who have felt the burden of being a favorite and those who have felt the sting of not being a parental favorite. May they be healed in the fullness of your love for them. Amen.