Love: Blessings Amidst Brokenness

**Ever felt like God’s greatest blessings are immediately followed by life’s toughest trials? What happens when divine promises unfold, yet personal tragedy strikes in the very next breath?** Join us as we dive into the raw, real-life story of Jacob from Genesis 35, a man who, in an act of obedience, returned to Bethel, purifying his household of foreign gods. Immediately following this obedience, God appeared to Jacob, reaffirming his new identity as Israel – from "deceiver" to one who "wrestled with God" or "God perseveres". God bestowed upon him a **glorious, multifaceted blessing**: a legacy encompassing a nation, a community of nations, kings among his descendants, and the promised land. Yet, in the very next moments, while still moving from Bethel, his beloved wife Rachel endured great difficulty in childbirth and tragically died, naming her son "Son of My Trouble".

This episode unpacks how the text, in its "dry and factual" account of Rachel's death, hints at an immeasurable depth of pain. We explore this **counter-cultural truth**: God's blessings and our identity in Christ are **secure and transcend** even when we face great difficulties, despair, and death. For new believers and those seeking to go deeper, this profound narrative reveals that as followers of Jesus, we have:

* **A new identity in Christ**: We are children of the Most High God.

* **A secured lasting legacy**: We matter, have purpose in His kingdom, and our life is not in vain.

* **A promised home**: An eternal life in a new heaven and earth, where Jesus will make all things as they ought to be.

Discover how, in your hurt, you are still a child of God, and in your despair, you still matter to God. Even when darkness seems to win, Jesus’s death and resurrection bring hope and light, having destroyed the power of death and sin. This episode will urge you, no matter your struggles, to remember your identity in Jesus, your legacy as part of God's people, and your eternal promise.