Heaven knows I need help with my golf game. I don’t play often. But sometimes I play golf with people who want to coach me. On every shot. They know how to play, and if only I could listen and do what they say, I would get better. I know. But it is annoying. End of rant. Can you think of someone in your family who is like that? If not, it might be you!
Jacob possessed a strong personality. Brand new at the well, from far away, he started giving advice to the shepherds. “You are here at the wrong time,” he seemed to say. In his thought, the sheep should have been eating, not drinking. But they were waiting on stragglers before they opened the well. As he helped them know the finer points of raising sheep, Rachel arrived like the tide coming in. Everything changed in that moment. This was love at first sight.
Jacob had strong arms. A man of action, Jacob opened the well so the sheep could drink. Also a man of action, Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. Not only was he strong, but he was sensitive. Rachel was part of his family. Like Rebekah who watered the camels for Abraham’s servant, her son Jacob gave water to the sheep. Biceps ran in the family. Word matriculated back to Laban who hurried to embrace and kiss Jacob. Over dinner, Jacob related the news from home. Then Laban said, “You are my own flesh and blood.” This single statement explains a lot because these two men were a lot alike. Trickery also ran in the family.
One of my mentors suggested that the right way to address a strong personality is to, “Come one up on them before they come one up on you.” From my family, I was familiar with this strategy. However, I asked my mentor for a scripture reference to validate it. It is hard to find, especially if we are looking at Jesus. How do we relate to the people whose confidence in their knowledge may exceed the actual amount of understanding they have? Love your family well. Keep your eyes open. Listen more than you talk. Even so, it is sometimes difficult. Like porcupines huddling in the cold, we need to get close to our loved ones. But when we do, it sometimes hurts.
