Any Drama in Your Family Lately?

Today, Fresh Start Momentum continues with a SUMMER SISTER SERIES highlighting the lives of some famous and amazing women who might just encourage us in our struggles. True stories that can give us insights for our lives in the 21st Century and how all women--married or not--have always been important throughout history. Join us each Monday for the next three weeks as we showcase our "sisters."

Fierce Devotion

Mothers are sometimes fiercely devoted to their children. It is not unusual for moms to give up and sacrifice for them to make sure they have want they need or are entitled to receiving. It truly brings anguish to a mom to see her child in want. If she can do anything at all for the child, she will do it. This has happened since the beginning of time. It appears God created moms with a certain little gene no one else has that is activated when her child is born. It can not be ignored when it comes to her child. A woman named Rebekah had this trait as well.

Love Begins

At the request of Abraham, Rebekah had been brought from another land to marry his son, Isaac. Rebekah was known as a courteous and kind woman. She also “was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her.” Rebekah had no problem traveling to become someone’s wife. In those days, arranged marriages were common and considered fortunate.

Often, the woman was given expensive gifts such as the “gold nose ring weighing a beka [⅕ oz] and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels [one shekel weighs ⅖ oz]” given to Rebekah. Upon returning to Canaan, she immediately married Isaac, but remained without children for twenty years!

Isaac believed in the Lord and in prayer. He remained in continual prayer until the Lord blessed him and Rebekah with twin sons, Jacob and Esau. From the very beginning (even in the womb), the two brothers were constantly fighting each other. Surely, this caused great distress for their parents. And it changed everyone involved.      

Love Hurts

In most families, playing favorites with one child over another can result in severe discord among, not only the siblings but between the mom and dad. At times it can get way out of hand as lying, dishonesty, malice, and hatred (to name but a few habits) causes irreparable damage in the family. Parents that started out loving all their children with delight and pride turns into an entirely different home when one child is shut out of love and affection.

There are no perfect parents, just as there are no perfect children. Agree? Esau became the favorite child of Isaac. Jacob became Rebekah’s favorite. Husband against wife. Brother against brother. The worse relationships there couldn’t be. Even in today’s world, this is still happening.

Rebekah overheard her husband promising Esau his inheritance. She wanted that for Jacob and convinced Jacob to deceive his father into giving him Esau’s birthright. Jacob didn’t believe it would work, but Rebekah said if it did not, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just go and do what I say. . .” And so he did. Esau was shut out of his blessing. When he found out, Esau planned on killing Jacob over the swindling.

And the world spins on and on and on. Where will the drama stop? What can we as mothers do to end the strife in our own families? It is up to us to maintain loving relationships with each of our children, even in a single parent home. No one said it would be easy. But it can be done.

"Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her. . ." Genesis 24:67 NIV.

[The entire story of Rebekah can be found in Genesis 24-27; 49:31].