“Look not every man on his own things, but
every man also on the things of others.”
Phl 2:4
We're all selfish, just to what
degree. Laban's whole life was stamped by selfishness. He made profitable
arrangements for his sister Rebekah's marriage to Isaac and used his own daughters'
lives as bargaining chips. Jacob eventually outmaneuvered Laban, but the older
man was unwilling to admit defeat. His hold on Jacob was broken, but he still
tried to maintain some kind of control by getting Jacob to promise to be gone
for good; realizing that Jacob and Jacob's God were more than he could handle. On the surface, we may find it difficult to
identify with Laban. But his selfishness is one point we all have in common.
Like him, we often have a strong tendency to control people and events to our
benefit. Our "good" reasons for treating others the way we do may
simply be a thin cover on our self-centeredness, and often struggle to recognize
it on our own. One way to discover it is to examine our willingness to admit when
we're wrong. Laban could not bring himself to do this. If you ever amaze
yourself by what you say and do to avoid facing up to wrong actions, you are
getting a glimpse of your selfishness in action.
Selfishness…that art of punishing
others for your own choices!
HSAY…Todd
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