More Than a Dream Coatنموونە

A LOVE LIKE THAT

The perfect little stone cottage next to the crystal blue lake also looks like a loving home. I see a large table that seems well used for many happy family lunches. And as I drive by, a father and son are laughing heartily over steaming flasks of coffee. I immediately feel the familiar envy rising in my heart. Nobody’s life can be that perfect!

Joseph’s relationship with his father seems to be the main trigger for the envy and hatred that developed in his brothers’ hearts. “But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him” (Genesis 37:4, NLT).

Again, the special relationship between Jacob and Joseph went further than the Technicolor Dreamcoat fiasco. Joseph was the one updating his father on what was going on in the family. “But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing” (Genesis 37:2, NLT). I have to admit that I don’t blame the brothers for feeling resentful toward Joseph. We all know how quickly our mistakes can be blown out of proportion by people who aren’t in our shoes.

In the same way, our perception of other people’s relationships may also be rose-colored by our envy. We don’t know what deeper hurts may be covered up by the signs of affection we observe from the outside. In Joseph’s case, I’m quite sure that he felt the pressures often placed on favorite children. Who knows if Joseph secretly longed to be part of the close-knit circle of brothers who hated him so deeply? The perfect picture that we have of other people’s relationships is often far removed from reality.

Do you know someone who seems to have the perfect relationship with their spouse or children? Do you feel that you are less loved than someone else in your family? Do you think that there may be more to the perfect picture you see from your vantage point?

Let us avoid hasty assumptions about other people’s relationships. And let us allow ourselves to be authentic about the victories and struggles we face in our relationships. “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones” (Proverbs 14:29-30, NLT).