“…For he thought, ‘I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.’”     Genesis 32:20 (NIV)

     After Jacob left Laban’s employ, he prepared to go home.  As he was walking, he worried about how his brother, Esau, would react to his return.  Since they didn’t have a great sibling relationship, he feared that Esau would attack him and his family.

     In an effort to make peace, Jacob sent his servants ahead of him with gifts to offer Esau.  He hoped to use the gifts to help him reconcile with his brother.

     As we consider Jacob’s situation, we can also reflect on how we approach our own relationships.  What are the motivations behind the gifts we give?

Are we trying to buy love?

     Some of us may find ourselves guilty of using gifts to compensate for the lack of time we spend with family.  When we are unable to make it home for dinner, or to sports tournaments and dance recitals, we may bring home a long-desired gift, hoping to turn the look of disappointment into a smile.

     Although the gift may bring some joy, it is only temporary.  In actuality, no gift can truly make up for not spending time with family.  That kind of time is priceless.

Are we trying to fill a void?

     We may also choose to purchase gifts for ourselves.  We work hard, and we deserve to treat ourselves, right?  Another rationalization is buying something nice to celebrate an accomplishment.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, we may buy something to help us feel better after experiencing something negative.

     But the most common challenge we run into with buying things for ourselves is making purchases within reason.  We tend to spend more than we can afford to spend, rather than staying within our budget.

     These things are also temporary fixes.  They can’t really make us feel better.  The void that we are feeling will never be filled with anything that is available at the mall.  Rather than running ourselves into a financial hole that could lead to a deeper sense of discomfort, we should seek help in being able to identify and correct what is truly lacking in our lives.

Are we showing off?

     Another reason that we give gifts is to publicly display our accomplishments and status.  When we make sizable donations, we are essentially telling the world that we have “made it” to some degree.  Those donations show the world that we can afford to give away large sums of money and still be comfortable.

     Giving anything to be noticed by others is an issue of pride.  Are we too proud of our accomplishments?  We have to remember that pride is a sin.  God will not recognize sacrifices and gifts presented with ill intentions.

     As Christians, giving is part of our foundation.  God set the stage for that when He gave His only Son for our salvation.  But God didn’t do it to buy our love.  He allows us the right to choose whether or not to love Him back.  God doesn’t have to fill any voids.  He is everything and lacks nothing.  God is our Creator, so He doesn’t have to show off.

     Giving has to be done for the right reasons.  It has to be out of love and for the betterment of our community.  Any other motivation devalues the whole act.

“If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed.  But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night He rebuked you.”     Genesis 31:42 (NIV)

     Does it ever feel like God has disappeared?  A trial comes into our lives unexpectedly, and suddenly, we no longer feel God’s presence.  In an effort to maintain our sanity, we begin trying lots and lots of different possible “fixes,” hoping that one will result in a solution that we can live with.

     The interesting thing about many of our solutions is that they often don’t solve anything.  Rather, they dig us deeper into the hole or they create a new problem.  What should we do when hardships arise?  Let’s consider Jacob’s example.

Remember that you are not alone

     While it may feel like God has disappeared, He really hasn’t.  Jacob knew that God was with him through every challenge that Laban sent his way.

     When Joshua was afraid of being chosen to lead the Israelites across the Jordan, Moses reminded him, “The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV)

     If we feel alone, it may be that we have pulled ourselves away from God’s presence.  We may have pushed God out of the driver’s seat of our lives and tried to direct our own paths.  But life is much too difficult to travel alone.

Be still

     In addition to recognizing God’s presence, we also have to be quiet enough to hear from Him.  God cannot direct our paths if we are too noisy or too busy to listen for His direction.

     Daily, we should spend time with God so that we can be in tune with His will for our lives.  His direction may not be what we thought, hoped, or planned, but it is what is best for us.

     Even if we find that we are off of His path, all hope is never lost.  He can work with us in all of our mess.  Romans 8:28 tells us that God works in all things for the good of those who love Him.  He can turn it all around.

Allow God to fix it

     If God never leaves us, then He has seen all that has happened to us.  Nothing can be hidden from God.  We don’t have to worry about avenging those who have wronged us or our family.  God wants to guide our lives, and He is definitely capable of fixing our issues.

     Jacob didn’t try to get even with Laban for all of the pain that he caused him over his 20-year employment.  He took every challenge in stride, knowing that God would look after him.

     When work feels too impossible to bear or the bills become too overwhelming, we should pull back and get out of our own heads long enough to seek God.  If we pray for God’s guidance before reacting to the situation, we may find that His solution is a lot better than anything we would have tried.  Lord, not our will, but Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

“It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household.  I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.”     Genesis 31:39 (NIV)

     In this passage, Jacob is telling Laban about his experience working for his father-in-law.  Although this only gives us a slight glimpse into the challenges that Jacob faced, we can still get a pretty good idea of just how chaotic it must have been.  Laban sounds like a man who not only misrepresented his goals and objectives to his employees, but also changed his mind constantly.

     We may look at change as a bad thing at times.  It changes our routine and throws us off balance.  But, in actuality, changes in our life should not come as a surprise.  They should be expected.

     Financial changes may come our way at any given moment.  Our challenge is to be able to withstand the change and go with the new flow.

Loss of income

     Income changes can go either way.  Let’s consider a worse-case scenario first.  If the household encounters a loss of income, it can be devastating to the family.  More often than not, the household is really counting on that income in order to function.  Living from paycheck to paycheck is the norm in many homes.

     At a time like this, it is important for the family to start prioritizing expenses to determine the first areas in which to make cuts.  Some things may feel hard to let go, but we have to be able to live within our means.

     Mismanaging the resources that God has provided may hinder His providing more.  Luke 16:10 tells us, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (NIV)

     If we prove ourselves faithful to God, His blessings will continue to pour out on us.  He will make sure that we, His beloved children, have every need met.

What about more?

     The change in income could go the opposite way.  We could be blessed with a raise, a bonus, or some other financial windfall.  Nevertheless, we should still be careful with how hard we celebrate.

     Luke 16:10 still holds true in this situation.  If God has entrusted more to us, we are expected to be good stewards of the additional income as well.  This is not a time to catch up on all of the toys that we’ve wanted to buy – for our children or for ourselves.

     We should examine our financial position and determine the best way to allocate the additional resources.  Do we have an emergency fund in place?  Are there debts that need to be paid off?  Does God have an area of need within His Kingdom in which He wants you to be a blessing?

Be ready

     Life is full of lessons.  Some are easier than others.  But they all are intentional.  God uses every encounter to mold us, to shape us, into His image.

     We do have a choice as to whether or not we will be flexible enough for Him to use us.  His plans are so much better than anything we can ever imagine.  Let’s make a conscious effort to be available to God and to follow His path as changes come our way.

“I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself.  And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night.”     Genesis 31:39 (NIV)

     When Jacob was confronted by Laban about stealing the gods, he decided to let out all of his frustrations.  He wanted Laban to understand just how faithful of an employee he had been while working for him.  He also pointed out that Laban was unreasonable as an employer.

     We, too, will face challenges at work.  Some may be short-lived, while others will linger much longer.  We have to be careful not to give in to the pressure.  One poorly-timed outburst could cost us more than we can afford to pay.  In our current economy, are we really in a position to walk away from a job?  How easy would it be to find another one?

     Let’s look at two challenges that Jacob points out that may also arise in our own workplace.

Faithful employees may have to bear the loss

     In Jacob’s time tending Laban’s flock, he took pride in his results.  As he mentions in the verse, he never brought the bad, damaged animals back to Laban.  He bore the loss himself, and only gave Laban the best.

     We should also approach our work in the same manner.  We should give our bosses or clients our best, even if we have to take a loss behind the scenes.

     For instance, we may have to take a financial “loss” when our company is unable or unwilling to reimburse for a work-related expense.  We may have to reframe the situation in our minds.  Rather than arguing about it, we can consider the possibility that this short-term expense could have a long-term, positive impact on our career and our productivity.

Bosses may demand more

     Laban expected Jacob to pay for things that were stolen.  We, too, may have an employer that is very demanding and uncompromising.  Should we really be held accountable for things that have been stolen?

     There can be valid arguments for both sides.  However, if we are in a management position, our job description includes maximizing profit and minimizing losses.  When a company incurs a loss, it is not just the employer that is impacted.  The entire firm will suffer the consequences.  Lower profits mean that less is available for payroll.  We should ask ourselves, Is there something that we can do to minimize company losses?

Be the best

     God expects the best from us in all circumstances.  Paul shared this concept with the Colossians when he wrote, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23 NIV)

     We must take this instruction with us into our workplaces as a reminder of how we are to approach each obstacle.  While our bosses may not always have our best interests at heart, that is not our concern.  Let God handle that.  Paul continued in his letter to the Colossians, “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong.” (Colossians 3:25 NIV)

     We will never know what ultimate good God has in store for our faithfulness and obedience.  There may be someone that we come in contact with that needs to know Jesus.  Christianity is not something that we should turn on and off.  As His lights in this dark world, we should always be ready to represent.