The Esau Syndrome

Have you ever, in desperation, settled on something only to later realize that God had (or may have had) something better?

Have you ever fretted over your situation so much until you finally convinced yourself to come up with your own solution to "fix" it because God was taking too long?

In this race, we experience all types of emotions -- including being tempted to take a shortcut. These shortcuts often seem to be the only way to appease some emotion with which we are struggling, like hunger, thirst, loneliness, frustration, etc.

In Genesis Chapter 25:29-34, Esau came to Jacob, after a day of hunting, and declared that he was so hungry he was about to die. Jacob had been preparing some lentil stew, which probably smelled great to Esau. Esau exaggerated his condition to make a point, but it just gave Jacob a glimpse at how vulnerable Esau was, so he made a plan to take advantage. Esau's desperation cost him his birthright, the inheritance that was his because he was the first-born son.

Hebrews 12:16-17 warns us against making the same irreversible mistakes.

Often, as Christians, we feel desperate in our situtations. Our focus on how we feel, and not on God and his ability to know what's best for us, drives us deeper into our emotions. For example, we feel lonely. We begin to focus on our loneliness, which is very real and painful. We start to think that God is taking too long to relieve this anguish, and we can't take it anymore. We consider ways to "take the edge off" that we know, or believe, are not pleasing to God. We convince ourselves that we have no choice if we are going to continue, if we don't get relief we will "surely die". We pray for God's grace in our decision to sin, and veer off on the path of COMPROMISE.

Once we realize what we have done, we (hopefully) experience immediate conviction and remorse, but it's too late. If we repent, God will guide us back to the right road, but there will be consequences on the way, some more painful than what we first experienced.

One of the saddest scenes in the bible occurs in Genesis 27:32-40, where  Esau goes to Isaac and realizes that he indeed has lost his inheritance to his younger brother, Jacob.

Today, as believers, our inheritance of eternal life is sealed at salvation, however we cheat ourselves of God's best and have to deal with the unnecessary pain of the consequences of our decisions when we succumb to sinful shortcuts. We take these kind of shortcuts in our finances, our relationships, and our career choices, to name a few. There are other scenarios as well.

If we find ourselves overwhelmed by our unmet needs, and we are tempted to take a shortcut, we would be wise to remember Esau, and to look to God to strengthen us to endure while waiting for His best.