The terms of the agreement were perfect, and both men shook hands, smiling with relief.
The meeting between Boss Lee and Mr. Jay had been long and tense, a conversation long overdue.
Boss Lee was a sweet talker, skilled at sealing deals that always favoured him and his business. He could string people along for years, and that’s exactly what he’d done with Mr. Jay… until Mr. Jay had finally had enough.
This very meeting between Mr. Jay — aka Jacob — and Boss Lee — Laban is recorded in Genesis 30. After years of hard work, Mr. Jay finally spoke up. And when he did,
Boss Lee asked, “So, what should I pay you?”
… “You don’t have to pay me a thing. But how about this? I’ll go back to pasture and care for your flocks. Go through your entire flock today and take out every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-coloured lamb, every spotted or speckled goat. They’ll be my wages. That way, you can check on my honesty when you assess my wages. If you find any goat that’s not speckled or spotted, or a sheep that’s not black, you’ll know I stole it.”
“Fair enough,” said Boss Lee. “It’s a deal.”
But here’s what happened right after they shook on the deal: Boss Lee went and took every spotted animal… on a three-day journey!
OMG! The heart of man, eh!
How on earth was mating supposed to happen so Mr. Jay could get the payment they’d just agreed on?
I’ve read this part several times in the last few weeks and still ask myself why Mr. Jay wasn’t upset. Why didn’t he throw a tantrum or just quit?
If it were me?
I’d have screamed, reported the injustice to friends and family, maybe even resigned, and definitely called my mum. She would’ve “reported” Boss Lee to God, asking for instant judgment. (You know the type: the business collapses overnight or disaster strikes)
I’m sure you know someone who’s been cheated silly at work, in a relationship, or a business deal. And when they tell the story, righteous anger starts to rise.
I feel you.
I understand those situations too. The type that makes you start wondering why a righteous God would let such injustice slide? And your brain starts pulling up every scripture you’ve ever heard on justice?
Calm down!
Here’s the thing: we often miss the real lesson in moments like this.
As I kept wondering all week why Genesis 30:37 didn’t tell us Jacob’s reaction. It immediately transitioned into the innovation he took on next.
That’s when it hit me: Mr. Jay didn’t waste time on bitterness or sit around analysing how ruthless the system was. He turned his eyes to the God of his fathers, knowing no one can cheat God.
That decision not to dwell on the injustice or let the messiness consume him opened the door to one of the most creative business strategies the world has ever seen:
“But Jacob got fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark, leaving white stripes on them. He stuck the peeled branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. When the flocks were in heat, they came to drink and mated in front of the streaked branches. Then they gave birth to young that were streaked or spotted or speckled…”
This is the part that makes me pull my ears and say,
“Rossy, your mind is immense. Your capabilities are beyond human comprehension. Don’t give in to negative emotions when things don’t go as planned or agreed. THINK. Let the wisdom of God flow through you. Birth innovation!”
You carry the BLESSING, so all situations must turn out for good.
I know… It’s easier said (or written) than done. But think about it: what would have been the outcome if Jacob had focused on bitterness, anger, and revenge?
Here’s my take: we’d never have heard of his greatness or his wealth.
And just so you know the scale of what God did through him, here’s what he was able to gift (yes, gift!) his brother Esau:
Genesis 32:13 — “Then he prepared a present for his brother Esau from his possessions: two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty camels with their nursing young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys…”
Remember in January, I reminded us that we carry the life of God? Read here.
You were created to be like God – light and life!
That’s your identity.
Never forget it.
My word for you today is – Don’t waste your energy on the betrayal. Tap into the blessing. Think. Create. Build.
