06 May 05 Bring Out The Best

Brady Smith (my brother-in-law and missionary in Switzerland) taught a class yesterday, here at the Pepperdine lectures, focusing on the life of Jacob and Esau. Specifically he was calling us to consider what God was doing through the lives and experiences of these men.

The dialogue with text was refreshing and engaging. Of course no one in the class complained when he began his class by handing out swiss chocolates.

Brady focused on the rather complex dynamics of the relationships between Jacob and Esau and the other major and minor characters which comprised “all in the family.”

Their life was more like a soap opera and less like a flannel board story. The familiar relationships brought out the worst in everyone while God was seeking to bring out the good in everyone. That was a captivating thought.

Why does it seem that those we know best often bring out the worst in us? That those we barely know seem to bring out the best in us? Is that not simply backwards but a distorted reality?