Nougat 7

Hi there

Life is filled with so many choices. Jacob often made some horrible choices; but some things, he got right. Take today’s Holy Nougat for example:

“Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭35:18-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can you imagine living with the knowledge that you were responsible for your mother’s death? Had Jacob allowed the first name to remain, his last child would have had to live with that responsibility. And in that act of substitution lies a valuable lesson for us all.

We have a choice regarding our perspective on life’s lemons. One option is to keep a permanent record of the issue, and focus on the negative. So we ‘name’ our issue Ben-Oni giving it power to overshadow all good even when we are gone.

OR

There is Jacob‘s perspective – honor the positive despite the sorrow. His decision must have had a positive impact on Benjamin, his son. For, he now represented the memory of a woman who was dearly loved and fondly remembered (at least by her husband).

Do we choose to focus on the fond memories in the aftermath of our crises? To focus on the blessings means we also opt to forgive ourselves and others for a lapse in judgement or the failed issue, and choose to extract the lessons going forward. It’s also choosing to disallow the disappointment from colouring all other relationships; because we know that God has much more in store for us. And what a joy that offers us!

I believe that while we take the lessons from the painful experiences; remaining in that moment of negativity for an extended period dishonors God. And we run the risk of missing sight of the wondrous other blessings from God. Of course, we know that doesn’t stop the blessings; but it certainly influences our view of God.

So, as the lemons keep coming during this pandemic, will we only focus on the sorrow or will we also count God’s many blessings?

In Christ’s love and grace . . .