When Life Changes: New Chapters, New Choices
You've been climbing hard for years, only to reach the top and realize—this isn't the mountain you wanted to climb. Now what?
Sometimes you have to leave home to find yourself.
That’s exactly what happens in Genesis 25. In this chapter, we see the end of a huge era and the start of something totally new. It’s like the moment when Steve Jobs left Apple for a while or when an artist changes their style and nobody knows what will come next—everything you built starts to change hands, and you have to decide who you want to become now.
God's perspective includes your past, present, and all possible futures—that's why the guidance fits perfectly.
Let’s walk through the story step by step—for both what’s happening on the outside, and what it shows about what happens inside you, whenever your life shifts in a big way.
Genesis 25: The Story in Simple Words
Here’s what this chapter tells us on the surface:
- Abraham, the founder of the family, gets married again and has other children, but he gives everything important to Isaac, the “chosen” son.
- Abraham dies and is buried next to Sarah, his wife.
- Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, can’t have kids for a long time, but after Isaac prays, she gets pregnant with twins—Esau and Jacob—who fight even before they’re born.
- As the boys grow up, Esau gives away his special “birthright” to Jacob for a simple bowl of stew.
Let’s look a little deeper, step-by-step, into what each of these really mean—not just for long-ago people, but for you and me, any time life flips upside down, or you face a new opportunity.
When One Door Closes and Another Opens
God here is the bigger awareness that sees all possibilities when you only see problems.
“Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah… Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac…” (Genesis 25:1-5, WEB)
Picture this: left a job, passed your business on to someone else, or watched your family change as people moved, got married, or passed away? Abraham is in this exact spot. He has more children, new adventures, but he decides that Isaac gets everything that matters.
- Abraham here stands for the part of you that chooses your “mission”—the vision behind your business, your family, or your dreams.
- “Giving everything to Isaac” is about learning to pass your real energy—your leadership, your deepest values—to your next focus, whether that’s another person, a new habit, or your next project.
Pause and ask yourself: If your “old way” of doing things ended today, what is the most valuable thing you would want to pass on—to yourself, your family, your business, or your community? What would you keep, and what would you let go?
Closing a Chapter: Facing Endings
Visualization isn't wishful thinking—it's how you tune into what's trying to emerge.
Consider Jennifer, who navigated her company merger by staying focused on serving people, not politics.
“These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years. Abraham expired, and died in a good old age… and was gathered to his people.” (Genesis 25:7-8, WEB)
Endings are hard, even if they’re gentle. This is the moment in life when a leader steps back or passes away, or when you realize your past version is over. For a startup founder, this might feel like selling your company; for a parent, it’s that day your kid moves out; for anyone, it can be the moment you walk away from a role that once felt like your whole story.
When you close a chapter, your awareness grows. You don’t get stuck in the old story—new spaces open up inside you for who you might become next. If you don’t make room, the next version of you can’t show up.
We all know someone who. This mirrors what we discovered about answering the call
Real world reflection: When was the last time you said goodbye—a job, a relationship, even an old habit? Did you take time to feel the ending, or did you rush into something new? What would happen if you let yourself acknowledge how big this change really was?
Old Stories, New People: Conflicts Inside Us
Higher-level faith experiments involve trusting guidance even when it doesn't make logical sense.
“Isaac prayed to YAHWEH for his wife, because she was barren. YAHWEH was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her. She said, ‘If it is so, why do I live?’ … YAHWEH said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb… the elder will serve the younger.’” (Genesis 25:21-23, WEB)
It's that moment when wanted something so badly, but as soon as it started to happen, things got harder? Maybe you dreamed of a bigger client, pitched a huge idea, or planned a family, and then right away everything got chaotic—like fighting with your partner, getting sick, or suddenly doubting yourself.
This is what Isaac and Rebekah go through. For a long time, they can’t have kids (nothing’s happening, dreams feel stuck). When they finally get what they want, there’s trouble—even before the twin boys are born, they fight inside their mother.
Change is hard. Staying the same is harder.
- Isaac is the “receiving” part of you—finally ready to grow, open to new ideas or direction The bigger awareness speaks through callings—not just what you should do, but who you're becoming in the process..
- Rebekah is the “creative” space inside you. She holds the potential, but also the struggle and tension that comes with any new beginning.
- The twins, Esau and Jacob, are two forces inside you that want different things—like the confident go-getter and the quieter thinker, or the urge to act fast vs. the instinct to wait and plan.
Every time a new dream starts to “come alive,” you feel both excitement and chaos—the twins wrestling within you. Which part will win? The familiar or the new?
Stop and consider: What “twins” are fighting inside you right now when you try something new or step into the unknown? Is it old habits vs. new dreams? Speed vs. patience? How could you listen to both sides without ignoring either one?
See yourself already there, feel the relief, then let life arrange the details.
Desires, Choices, and the Turning Point: The Birthright Sale
Development Insight: Experimental faith means testing what you receive.
“Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me… with that same red stew, for I am famished.’ Jacob said, ‘First, sell me your birthright.’ … He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob.” (Genesis 25:29-33, WEB)
This is one of the most famous “deals” in the Bible. Esau is tired and hungry. Jacob makes a quick offer: food now, or your future inheritance later. Esau says yes. It sounds silly, but is it?
Consider what happens when quit a dream just because you were too tired to keep going? Have you given up your best ideas for a quick fix, like skipping a workout because you wanted to watch TV, or spending your business profits the moment they came in instead of reinvesting? That’s the “Esau trade.”
- Esau is the part that acts on impulse—the voice inside that says, “I want what’s easy right now.”
- Jacob is the part that plays the long game—willing to wait and invest, to take small actions now for bigger results later.
This is not about being “better” or “worse”—both voices are in every person. The choice is always about what you value most: short-term comfort or long-term promise?
Pop culture example: Dave Ramsey (a well-known money coach in America who helps people become debt-free) often tells people to avoid short-term spending for the sake of a future payoff. He knows it’s hard not to “eat the stew,” but the people who succeed are usually those who hold onto their “birthright”—saving, investing, and delaying the win for something bigger.
The experiment scales: works for parking spaces and life direction The bigger awareness speaks through callings—not just what you should do, but who you're becoming in the process. equally.
Check in with yourself: Where do you trade long-term gains for quick fixes—at work, at home, with friends, or with money? What “stew” feels urgent now but might cost you your real future?
The Mystical Map Hidden Inside Genesis 25
If you look at this story as a map of your inner growth, here’s what shows up:
- Abraham passing everything to Isaac: You must move your energy and belief from old stories to new possibilities. Life is change; you can’t keep the same focus forever.
- The struggle of the twins: Big change always creates “inner wrestling”—a back-and-forth between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming. This is normal, not a sign of failure.
- Esau selling his birthright: Every day, you face choices between what you want right now and what will truly matter later. Awareness—your real attention—lets you make the better choice.
Each character in this story lives inside you. You’re Abraham when you realize you have to let go. You’re Isaac and Rebekah when you wrestle with what’s next. You’re Esau and Jacob every time you choose between now and later.
So, the “God” here is not a distant being. It’s the awareness that lets you see both the hunger of the moment and the promise of the future. When you slow down, notice your choices, and ask for clarity, you become able to hold both the endings and the beginnings, the struggle and the promise, and always choose a path that leads to more growth.
What You Can Do Right Now: Your Next Step
Are you standing at the start of something new—or facing an ending you didn’t want? Try this exercise:
- Pause. Close your eyes, just for 10 seconds. Notice what’s changing in your life—big or small.
- Feel the wrestling. What is fighting for your attention? What old pattern wants comfort, and what new idea asks you to wait or hold on?
- Decide one thing to keep. Choose one value or belief from your “old way” that helps your future—your version of Isaac’s inheritance.
- Decide one thing to let go. What comfort or quick fix could you skip so you don’t “sell your birthright” for stew today?
Write down both, however simple they are. This is your start.
What’s Next? From Wrestling to Discovery
Genesis 26 is all about what happens when you move forward with those decisions—how to hold onto your choice even when things get rough, and how blessings can surprise you when you stay true to what matters.
Your relationship with time determines if you have enough or never enough.
If you’re in a season of change—starting, ending, or wrestling—know that you’re already living this story. Every change, every inner fight is your own next chapter, and every moment of real awareness is the first step to something new.
