Greetings dear one
Top of the day to you; I pray you are doing well. It is said that time heals all wounds; but today’s Holy Nougat begs the question – when.
“So on that day Esau returned on his way to Seir, but Jacob journeyed to Sukkot and built a house for himself, and for his livestock he made booths. That is the reason that place is called Sukkot.”
Genesis 33:16-17 TLV
The reunion between Esau and Jacob resulted in the end of the feud between the twins. But, should one take stock of Jacob’s actions, one may deduce that he was not entirely confident that all was well in actuality. He insisted Esau receive the gifts he brought, then very firmly refused Esau’s offer for accompaniment. Was that fear, mistrust, or just independence? It ended with the brothers going their separate ways.
Interestingly, there’s a grand reunion making the rounds on social media, that of Will Smith and Janet Hubert. They publicly ended a 25+ year feud (somewhat similar to the duration of Esau and Jacob’s), talking things over and making nice. What was interesting to some people was that they hugged upon initial sight of each other. Same as Esau and Jacob. But, at the point of that hug, despite the hug, things were not right between them. It took another step for the journey of healing and reconciliation to begin.
It makes me wonder, when does healing and reconciliation truly begin, and how do we know it is genuine?
There are difference in both narratives of reconciliation. Smith and Hubert were not legitimately (rather) biologically related; Jacob and Esau were twins. Although Jacob and Hubert were obliged to walk away from what was ‘rightfully’ theirs; the circumstances surrounding the departure were different – Jacob wronged his brother; Hubert was wronged by Smith and an unforgiving industry – and thus the timbre of their reunions were coloured by the terms of the departure. We do not know if Jacob bore resentment towards Esau. That was not in doubt between Janet and Will. And, while we have the opportunity to hear Will speak with Janet, the closest we get to the Esau-Jacob saga is hearing Jacob saying that seeing Esau is like seeing an angel. Which makes his reluctance to engage Esau a bit strange; especially after his wrestling session with God the night prior.
Had Jacob truly made peace with Esau in his heart? Have we truly made peace with those who wronged us, despite our frequent repetition of the words, ‘Forgive us as we forgive (others)’?
When does healing and reconciliation begin? Definitely not at the hug; but it could be before or after. I would say that it begins when we allow God’s Spirit to renew and transform us past the hurt and the pain to forgive even without an apology.
Are we healed and reconciled?
https://www.facebook.com/redtabletalk/videos/3823074501060289/
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
