Daily Devotional, Sept 11, 2023 Playing Favorites
"But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." James 2:9
In the 1980s, Autograph or Slumbooks were a craze for both grade school and highschool students. In it, every person who gets to “sign” would share things about herself, her definition of love, who her crush is, and notably her favorite things. From colors, to food, to hobbies, we have all been programmed to pick out what we like most among a throng of choices.
As parents though, having a favorite is discouraged, and is even a taboo topic for some. Favoritism after all is unfair, and it has lasting consequences on our children, that could cause deep wounds they will carry until adulthood. The bible shared stories about favoritism, and how bad things could get because of it. Take the cue from the story of Jacob, who was his mother’s favorite (Genesis 25:28). His mother ended up helping her con his father to get the blessing meant for his older brother Esau.
When he became a father himself, Jacob also practised favorites. Joseph, was his favorite among his sons. “Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born when Jacob was very old. Jacob had even given Joseph a fancy coat” (Genesis 37:3). And because the favoritism was obvious, Joseph’s brothers despised him and plotted to kill him. Later on though, they sold him to the Egyptians as a slave.
Playing favorites always ends up badly, and destroys relationships within the family. The Lord discourages us from engaging in this, as He himself does not engage in favoritism. This is emphasized several times in the new testament. One of the occasions it was mentioned was in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: “Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.” (Ephesians 6:9).
In the Old Testament meanwhile, it was underscored that the Lord is always fair to everyone “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe” (Deut. 10:17).
As parents, it could be a challenge not to be partial to the most well-behaved child, or the one who looks like us, or the one who seems to love us most. But we should always remember that these kids are entrusted to us to be raised and discipled all with the same amount of love and care, as modeled by our Almighty Father. Yes, even the naughtiest or the one who reminds you most of your mother-in-law 🙂
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Genesis 25:19-34 and Romans 2:11-13 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you have a favorite among your children? How do you try to show fairness among all your kids?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for showing fairness to all of us. Give me the wisdom and resolve to follow your example, and not play favorites on my children. Amen.