Family Division

And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? 

And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

                                                                                        (Gen 4:9-12 KJV)

Cain was a bit jealous because God had favored Abel's offering. He was so jealous that he killed him. God did not kill him; but, kicked him out of the place; the home with his parents Adam and Eve. He exiled Cain as a fugitive and vagabond.

Cain and Abel were not the first in that family to have problems with their family members. Adam and Eve decided to listen to gossip; the lies, from the snake. The snake said that their father, our father, had lied to them. So, they ate what the snake offered hoping for more than their father had given them. The consequences they were kicked out of the home their father had prepared for them in the paradise of Eden.

Then there is the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob stole Esau's blessing from their father because of jealousy; envy. They were at odds with each other for years.

Jacob was his father's favorite. His brothers were jealous so they sold him into slavery. In the end, Jacob became just about everyone's favorite. He did not see his family again for years; not until they needed his favors; his mercy.

Rivalry, disrespect, down right hatred is not so uncommon within families as one might think. Most families that I know (who are honest with me) tell stories of family divisions. Some families reconcile after years of separation. Other families never do. Sometimes, it is necessary for there to be a separation so that tempers have time to cool down and nothing worse happens. Sometimes, those tempers never do. But, thanks be to God many do. Jealousy often dies as we get older. We learn not to gossip or lie about our families in attempts to come out looking better than we are. Sometimes the attitudes and life-styles never change and reconciliation is not advisable unless we desire to spend or days playing more games that lead to destruction rather than living life in peace.

When all parties decide it is time to put away the jealousy, the greed, the animosity, even the sinful nature of our attitudes, reconciliation can begin.

Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden of paradise, out of our Father's presence, as were all of their descendants. But, there is a chance for reconciliation. On the cross, Jesus took upon himself all of our sins; all of our hate, all of greed and selfishness, all of our nasty egos. They were put to death with him so that we might be reconciled to our Father in heaven and to one another in Christ Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J