When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” – Genesis 29:25

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 28, 2012): Genesis 29

Maybe one of the universal hopes of a parent is that our grandkids will give our children all of the struggles that we experienced with them. There might not be any greater reward than having a headstrong grandchild to give our headstrong children a taste of their own medicine. (and for those who know my grandchild – yeah, so far she is not fulfilling any of this.) We are not trying to mean, we just want the moment when we can sit down with our children and say “now you know how we felt.” And maybe recognize that as parents we still don’t have the answers.

I don’t think that Isaac knew what he was doing when he sent Jacob to find a wife among the relatives of Rebekah. But what Jacob found when he arrived at his ancestral home was someone as experienced in the art of deception as Jacob was. Finally the man named “deceiver” had met the one that could deceive even him. Laban and Jacob seemed to be made for each other.

It is actually something that I have noticed in life. Mirror images of people seldom get along – we just seem to bring out the worst in each other. And it is not that there are no redeeming features in the person (although that is often what I hear people say when confronted with their evil twin) - it is just that we seem to be unable to see the good.

Maybe Jacob’s arrival at the home of Laban was more than just payback or karma. Maybe it was the opportunity of a lifetime – a chance to really see the way they looked to other people. And it was a chance to make some real changes. We will never know what Laban did with the opportunity, but for Jacob it was a humbling experience that set up the rest of his life.

And, if we are lucky, we have the same opportunity to examine our own lives in the lives of those around us – especially in those that we may not like. The next time you are confronted with the annoying traits of friend, tread carefully. You might be seeing what you look like to others.

  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 30