How To Get Ahead

Last week we met Rachel and dealt with her issue of perfectionism.  This week we meet Rachel and Jacob’s son, Joseph.  See Genesis 37:3.  This verse tells us that Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son probably because Rachel was his favorite wife.

Many of us are familiar with the story, “Joseph and Technicolor Dream Coat.”  Think Donny Osmond.  If you don’t know the story, you can read about it in Genesis 37.  To make a long story short, Joseph’s brothers are jealous of him and sell him into slavery in Egypt.

Eventually Joseph becomes the attendant of a high Egyptian official.  The official’s wife frames Joseph for rape and he winds up in prison.

Joseph fares well in prison.  He is able to interpret dreams and gets released by Pharaoh.  In fact, Pharaoh likes him so much he puts him in charge of all of Egypt.  Joseph’s own brothers come back to him, begging for food.  Joseph helps them out.  Eventually, Joseph is reunited with his family and we get a happy ending.

What could Joseph’s issue be?  Promotion.  The dictionary describes promotion as “the act of being raised in position or rank.  Ascend, elevate, rise.”

Joseph did not self promote.  Look at Genesis 39:2-3, 5b and 20b-21.  It tells us “since the Lord was with him, Joseph got on very well.  The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake.  But even while he was in prison, the Lord remained with him.”

Our culture is obsessed with self-promotion.  Look at the Kardashians.  This is the opposite of God’s idea of promotion.  God promotes those who wait on His timing.  This is the waiting that actually landed Joseph in jail.  Yet it was reversed!  He was placed in charge of all of Egypt.

The key to Joseph’s promotion was that he used it to help others.  Joseph saved Egypt from famine and his family from starvation.

We should allow God to promote us and then use our promotion to help others.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I try to “one up” others in all I do?

Am I always talking about myself?

Do I step on those I feel are in my way?

Am I out for myself?

What can I learn from Joseph?

She Wants To Be In That Number

Click on the Gracieland icon on the bottom right of the page to see this week's webstrip.  To see all of the strips, visit: http://greetingsfromgracieland.com/

Tuesday Table Talk

Ask your child:

What does Gracie want to be?  Why?

Is there really an application process to being a saint?

What does delusional thinking mean?

Why does Anthony think Gracie can’t be a saint?  

What would you like to be the patron saint of?

How To Get Ahead

Click on the Gracenotes link above to hear this week's podcast on Joseph and his issue. Check back tomorrow for a new Gracieland.

The "perfect" song for this week...

Little Miss

Ask Ellen: Conclusion of Catholic Social Teachings for Middle School Students

Theme 7:  Care of God’s Creation

We have talked a great deal about caring for each other as part of God’s family.  Students also need to be aware of this requirement of our faith: to care for creation.  I would take the opportunity to ask students what environmental issues plague us today.  Answers could include: global warming, drilling for oil, protection of wildlife etc.

I would make students aware of the need to protect the resources God has given us.  I would brainstorm ways the class could become involved with protecting their school environment.

The last thing I would address before concluding the series on Catholic Social Teachings is the responsibility of voting with an informed conscience.  Students should realize through this study of the Church’s position that no candidate lines up perfectly with the Church’s standards.  I would encourage them to ask their parents why they choose to vote the way they do.  I would explain to them that this is a life-long responsibility: to vote for people who align themselves as closely as possible to the Church’s teachings.  I would leave them with the realization of how fortunate they are to belong to a Church that doesn’t change its policies to reflect public opinion or to align itself with a  particular candidate.  They have been given access to Truth and should measure all they do and support against this Truth.  That is truly a gift.

You Can't Have It All

Last week we met Leah and dealt with her issue of rejection.  This week we will focus on Jacob’s second wife, the sister of Leah, Rachel.  The minute Jacob met Rachel he fell in love with her.  Genesis 29:11 tells us Jacob immediately kissed Rachel and burst into tears.  A definite case of love at first sight.

Genesis 29:18 tells us Jacob asked for Rachel and was clearly in love with her.  In verse 20 we learn that to Jacob seven years seemed but a few days.  Isn’t that how it is when you are in love?

We have already talked about how Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah.  (see Jacob and Deceit and Leah and Rejection.)

We also found out last week (see Gen 29:30) that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.

What more do we know of Rachel?  Back up to verse 17.  Here we learn that Rachel was beautiful and well formed.  Rachel seemed to have everything, which brings us to her issue.

Perfection.  Jacob certainly thought she was perfect.

Many of us struggle with perfection.  The dictionary tells us that perfections is “freedom from fault or defect, supreme excellence, superiority, worth.”

Many of us define our worth by how perfect we appear.  You and I both know that neither of us is perfect.  But man, do I wish I had the time back that I used trying to convince the other soccer moms that I was perfect.

Anyway, God weighs in on perfection pretty quickly here.  In verse 31 we find out that Rachel is barren.  This is a great example of no one has it all.  In ancient Hebrew culture, it was a public humiliation for Rachel and for Jacob.  This was compounded by the fact that Rachel’s sister, Leah, was a baby making machine.

The lesson I feel we can learn from Rachel can be found in Genesis 30:1.  “When Rachel saw that she failed to bear children to Jacob, she became envious of her sister.”

Perfectionism leads to envy.  When we want to appear perfect, we envy those who appear to have the pieces we lack.  Rachel envied Leah because of all those babies and it strained their relationship.  Eventually, Rachel dies giving birth to her son, Benjamin. (Gen 35:18)

Perfectionism is a lie.  A lie that leads to a life of envy.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I try to appear perfect?

Why does being perfect matter to me?

How has trying to appear perfect led me to be envious of others?

What faults am I willing to admit today?

What can I learn from Rachel?

Remember That You Are Dust and... Ok, Even We Know This One Is Weird

Click on the Gracieland icon on the bottom right of the screen to see this week's webstrip.  To see all of the strips, visit: http://greetingsfromgracieland.com/

Tuesday Table Talk

Ask your child:


What is Gracie doing?

What Ash Wednesday saying is she playing on?

What should we remember on Ash Wednesday?

What are you giving up or taking on for Lent?