When my oldest daughter Kara was 5 years old she liked to use my wife’s Stair Master. But, we didn’t think it was wise for a 5 year old to work out on it. So, we forbade her from getting anywhere near it. But, alas the allure of the Stair Master proved to be too great for Kara. In a moment of weakness—and disobedience—Kara secretly slipped into our bedroom to steal some moments of cardiovascular pleasure.
But, something went awry with Kara’s 5-year-old workout routine. Instead of choosing to climb the stairs, she attempted to climb the control panel instead. She must have confused the Stair Master with a jungle gym! Within moments my wife heard Kara crying and found her writhing in pain. Sadly, Kara’s future as a gymnast ended with a crash and a fractured right ankle.
Now it’s true that at 16 years old, my daughter has recovered from the disappointment of missing out on all but certain Olympic stardom. But, the consequences of a seemingly insignificant fracture in her right ankle, coupled with a snakebite in that same ankle 4 years later, has made running painful for her on occasion.
Some fractures are immediately obvious to patient and doctor alike. But, others are much harder to detect. A fracture can be nothing more than a hairline crack. In Kara’s case, it was in her growth plate. The doctor was concerned that if the small fracture went untreated that her bones would not form the right way. Thankfully, the fracture didn’t affect Kara’s height. She presently stands at 5’ 7” and walks with a beautiful gate.
God was indeed gracious to Kara and our entire family. The consequences for her childish disobedience could’ve been much greater. She could’ve landed on her head and scarred her beautiful face. Praise God, she didn’t!
There’s an important lesson for all of us in this. There are bad decisions that each one of us can make every day that can at first appear to be of little to no consequence. But, over the course of time those decisions become at best bad habits and at worst bad character. A little crack in our moral condition can not only reap havoc in our own life, but it can actually fracture our entire family.
Today, we’re going to look at one such family in the Bible. Most people think that if they have faith then their family is fracture-proof. But, as we investigate Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage and the impact it had on their twin sons, Jacob and Esau, we’ll see one classic example of a fractured family of God.
How is it possible that the son of the Bible’s most faithful man could end up with a family so dysfunctional? I can tell you it didn’t happen overnight. You see, a fracture in their faith led to a fracture in their family. If it can happen to them, why should anybody think it can’t happen to their family?
(I want to thank my daughter Kara for giving me permission to tell this story. I am very proud of the wonderful young lady that she has become. There are many stories I could tell about her where she made the right choice.)
This article is an excerpt from my sermon series in Genesis. The story of Jacob & Esau is found in Genesis 25-28. All are welcome to join us for worship this Sunday at 10:30 am. Lighthouse Community Baptist Church is located at 22 Pequot Trail in Pawcatuck.
