The childhood story of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament is a bit troubling. They were twin brothers. Their mother Rebekah was fond of Jacob while their father Isaac preferred Esau.

Esau was born first, and it seems that didn’t sit well with either Esau or Jacob. Jacob wanted to be the firstborn. Esau on the other hand could not have cared less. Why did it matter so much that he was born first? Everything seemed to hinge on the birthright. Esau was tired and sick of this. And so he despised his birthright while Jacob desired it.

On his deathbed their father Isaac asked both of his boys a simple question: “Who are you?” Apparently this question is not so simple after all. It took almost a lifetime for Esau and Jacob to come to terms with themselves.

Through preferential treatment, Rebekah and Isaac unwittingly caused a serious rift in their family. Later in life Esau and Jacob were able to come to terms and reconcile. In order to make peace with one another they both had to own up to their mistakes.

When people own up to their mistakes a boy turns into a man and a girl into a woman. We no longer hide behind our parents’ faults or anybody else’s faults and humbly accept the consequences. God Himself is not pretentious. He is who He is. We can follow His example and allow ourselves to be who we really are.

We have a lifetime to learn two things: understand who we are and then be true to ourselves. What if we get rejected? Welcome to God’s world – God became a human being and walked into the world that He previously created and His own people did not welcome Him. I believe He can empathize with us when we face rejection.

It’s a golden moment in time when we first realize that God loves us. Accepting God’s love and accepting ourselves goes hand in hand. God loves us – and by the way: that’s who we are.