Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a multicolored tunic. And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.

-- Genesis 37:1-11

Reflection
Families are complicated and the stories are different for each family member who brings their own perspective to these stories. As a teenager, I believed my story was one of service and sacrifice to my family. When my mother went to work full-time I was given more responsibility to help my younger brother and sister and to assume numerous household chores. I ‘gave up’ going out with friends after school to be home with them and to prep dinner, etc.

My sibling’s story was that I ‘got to do anything I wanted’ and ‘was the boss of them!’ We often found ourselves in heated debate over privilege vs. responsibility. What looked like privilege to my brother and sister often felt like a burden to me. But in truth, our parents were always there for us, loving us, meeting our individual needs, and assigning age appropriate responsibilities. It was not our parent’s intention to create opportunities for sibling rivalry.

God’s providence and love is that of the loving parent, with each child equally loved. It is only our personal perspectives that may change the story.

-- Barbara Myers

Questions
Have you ever received a special gift from your family? What was it? How did you feel about receiving it?
What are some stories about your family? What do they reveal about your families values?

Prayer
Gracious God, you work through ordinary people, choose to tell your salvation story through complicated families, refusing to give up on us even when we hurt one another deeply. Use the seasons of joy and the seasons of confusion to being us all closer and more tightly bound to each other. Amen.