He Doesn't Blink
Life is not fair. Caregiving is not fair. As time goes on, it can feel even less fair. It can seem like life cheated us out of plans, hopes, dreams, and our lives with our loved ones. I wonder if this is how Jakob felt.
Laban was a cheater; he did not play fair. Jakob was introduced to Laban's deception from the start. He made an agreement to marry Laban's daughter, Rachel. Jakob was sooooo in love with Rachel. But after the wedding was consummated and the veil removed, Jakob discovered that the love of his life, the woman he agreed to work 7 years for, had been withheld by Laban. He had just married Leah, Rachel's older sister. Talk about the old switcheroo... smh.
Laban had tricked Jakob, and he required another 7 years of service in exchange for his daughter Rachel. Jakob loved her so much he overlooked Laban's cheating, lies, and deceptive lifestyle.
Jakob struck up another deal with Laban years later. Jakob wanted to leave; Laban wanted him to stay because he felt like he was blessed because of Jakob. They made a deal for some sheep. Jakob agreed to take the off-colored, spotted, and striped sheep and let Laban have the solid-colored sheep. But Laban went out and removed all the male sheep with stripes and spots. He removed them three days' distance away so they couldn't accidentally mate. (Genesis 30:34-36) Cheater. Liar.
Jakob prospered in spite of the dishonesty. In Genesis 30:43, it says that his flocks increased quickly and he became very wealthy. God told Jakob to go home. Jakob made some moves that way, and then God repeated the message in a dream. God told Jakob I have seen all that Laban has done to you. (Genesis 31:12) That's the part that got me this week.
I stopped to realize and be thankful that God sees everything about the caregiving journey. He doesn't turn away His eyes or ears from us. He sees it all. From the beautiful parts to the hardest, seemingly ugly parts. He sees us.
He is not detached, distant, or an absent parent. God's not standing off at a distance, hoping we make it. He is near. He is close enough to hear our tears fall on our pillows at night. God understands the creaks in our souls from carrying the caregiving load, many times all alone. He gets it.
Today, I will remind myself that God does not blink. He doesn't miss a millisecond of our day or night. He is constantly watching and ever-present. He chooses to be aware of every emotion, thought, and feeling a caregiver experiences. My meditations today will be on how He intentionally moves in close and refuses to blink so He doesn't miss a thing. I believe I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?
Check out all the books in my Amazon Shop.
Buy me a coffee for as little as $5!
Donate any amount through PayPal.
CashApp: $jeanieolinger
Venmo: @Mary-Olinger-6
Comments
Post a Comment