“7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.”
Eventually, we all have to get a job and support ourselves. The Bible tells us in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” My daughters have all heard this time and time again. I am a huge proponent of hard work. Hard work is your friend, and you should cultivate that relationship.
Jacob ends up working for Laban for 20 years while acquiring Leah and Rachel as wives, as well as managing Laban’s herds. Chapter 31 is all about Jacob fleeing Laban after the Lord instructs him to finally, after 20 years, get up and travel to the country where Isaac is at, Canaan. The Lord blesses Jacob in the middle of all the trickery and deceiving from Laban. Our verse explains how the Lord blesses Jacob. The speckled and streaked sheep were not valued as much as the pure white ones, so Laban tells Jacob he can have all the speckled or streaked offspring. Well, sure enough, the Lord caused most of the offspring to be speckled or streaked. I love it when you see the providential hand of God on your life, blessing you in the middle of poor circumstances. Jacob flees with a huge family and is very wealthy.
We all want the white, unblemished things in our lives, the great job paying us way too much, the new car, the great boss, the easy commute, the lack of dress code at work, and on and on. Have you ever just sat back and said thanks for the speckled and spotted things in your life? Those people who are hard to get along with? The boss that is a little too crazy and micromanaging? The stained carpet, the worn-out couch, the old car that seems to start every morning? God blessed Jacob through all those sheep that Laban thought were worthless. He looked up after many years, and those sheep Laban rejected, the Lord used to bless Jacob in a huge way.
Today, take inventory of your place in life, the house, the kids, the apartment, the job, all of it. All of it is a blessing from the Lord, and He can use it to prosper you and bless you as long as you keep your eyes and ears on serving the Lord. John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave…” When was the last time you just gave of whatever you have to bless someone else? All Jacob had were the speckled and streaked rejected sheep, and look what the Lord did with that!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the blessings I often overlook. Help me see Your hand in the imperfect and unexpected. Just as you blessed Jacob through the speckled sheep, teach me to trust that You are working all things for my good. Thank you for your faithfulness. In Jesus name, amen.
Let It Go 
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