Live the Life You Really Want

Does you ever feel like you’re drifting through life? Sometimes it can feel like we’re on autopilot, going through our daily routines automatically, living according to our whims or our circumstances in the moment, never really choosing what we want.

But on today’s podcast, we’re going to talk about what we can do each day in order to get closer to the life we really want—and the life that God wants for us. If we live life aimlessly, we probably won’t like where our lives end up. But if we’re clear on where we want to be, we can make a plan to get there.

Today, Yael reminds us that we are never alone: God is always with us, guiding us and loving us, every moment of our lives.

Today’s episode looks at the Bible passage that decided from whom Israel would come. Learn more about the 12 Tribes of Israel in our Learn Center.

Episode Notes:

The Bible verse we’ll look at today is Genesis 25:29-34:

“Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ ‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’  But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”

From this verse, we learn that Esau prioritized instant gratification over future success and that caused him to make the worst decision of his life—to sell his birthright and forfeit the role he might have played as a father of God’s people.

It’s easy for us to look at this story from the outside and judge Esau as completely foolish, but the truth is that we often make the same mistake as Esau—and it keeps us from living our best lives, just like it did for Esau. Don’t we all sometimes make the mistake of sacrificing the future for the sake of immediate gratification? It’s not always easy to stay on course. But as people of faith, we know that part of living a godly life means overcoming our flesh—our desires in the moment. 

In this episode, Yael reflects on some important questions: What do you want to accomplish with your life? What really matters to you in the long-run?  What kind of person do you want to be? If we can keep these goals in mind, and ask God to guide us, we can regain control of our lives!