I Gotta Get Mine

Sunday Night Recap
Sunday July 30, 2006
The O.T. Part 10

Have you ever seen someone pulling taffy? It's a pretty intriguing (I have NO idea if I spelled that correctly) process of stretching something to it's absolute limit. Out of all the times I have watched taffy being pulled I have never seen it break. I'm sure, though, that sometimes that long strand of yummy gooiness separates and forms two separate pieces never to be perfectly rejoined again.

In this weeks story from Genesis 30:25-31:55 we see Jacob and Laban's relationship being stretched to the breaking point. This strain on the relationship was precipitated by deception, selfishness, pride and this attitude:

I GOTTA GET MINE!

Have you ever had that attitude within a relationship? That attitude will no doubt lead to separation. A selfish and prideful attitude in relationships will stretch relationships and often lead to a break.

In Jacob and Labans relationship we see an ABSOLUTE break, kind of like the line that is drawn in the back seat of cars and vans all across the country between feuding siblings. The difference is that Jacob and Labans relationship stretched so far that it broke, irreconcilablly (I'm not even sure this is a word!)

If we have an attitude of "I have a right to get what's mine" we will never live in a Romans 12 attitude of relationships which tells us to "not think more highly of ourselves than we should." We own nothing and nothing is owed to us. What we think we need to get as "ours" in fact is God's to begin with...not ours!

Watch your relationships. If you see your relationships stretching out like taffy, it may eventually lead to a break caused by selfishness and pride.

Even more importantly, this same separation can happen in our relationship to God. We can hold back from him, blame him for our actions, and live pridefully in "our" faith. In that we cause separation, division and distance in our relationship to God.

And if our relationship to God is strained, you can be sure your relationships with the people around you will be strained!