Flock, Stock, and Two Stolen Idols
[Then Laban said to Jacob,] “The Holy One watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight.” – Genesis 31:49 (ESV, adapted)
Laban had a case. And if you’d heard his side alone, you might go for it.
Jacob had fled in the night with wives, children, servants, flocks, and everything he claimed as his. Rachel made off with her dad’s household idols.
Laban caught up indignant, wounded, and ready to tell his version like it was the whole truth.
But it was a whole lot more complicated.
The night before, God had paid Laban a visit and warned him not to bother Jacob. Which means Laban’s outrage may have sounded persuasive, but it wasn’t righteous. Panning out, we see Laban’s disobedience.
Do we need to pan out, too?
We may know our little piece of something. We may witness something ourselves. We may carry evidence, outrage, narrative, certainty. But we never have the full perspective. Which is exactly why judgment is such a seductive spiritual trap.
We see a moment. God sees the whole terrain.
If we pull the camera back from the camps, back past the dust and the livestock and the family drama, back beyond the outrage and the fear, we start to realize how small human certainty really is. Each of us is standing inside one slice of the truth, arguing like it is the whole thing.
Thanks be that God’s never trapped inside our camps.
Prayerfully consider loosening your grip on the story that keeps you righteous in your own eyes. When the outcome is not the one you wanted, don’t accuse God of ignoring the truth.
Because God’s always handling a truth far bigger than any of us can see. Believe me, that’s a good thing.
Prayer
Holy One, free me from the need to be right in my own eyes. Loosen my grip on the stories I use to judge others. Give me humility, trust, and peace. Amen.
About the AuthorKaji Douša is the Senior Pastor of The Park Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, in New York City.