Parenting is hard. Just being an adult is hard. All of it comes with overwhelming responsibility. And sometimes we mess up. Like Jacob. To put it kindly, his parenting was lacking. The coat of many colors shows us that Jacob played favorites. Joseph’s bragging about dreams shows us that Jacob was passive in letting the sibling enmity grow. How are these parenting fails relevant to us today? It’s this: Our children are growing up in a world of mixed messages, and they’re looking to their parents and to other adults in their lives wanting to know, is our faith real? Does Jesus really influence our lives? That’s a question that deserves an answer. And we answer it a thousand times every single day.

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Genesis 37:1–8, 18–20, 23–24, 26–28

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