Jacob, Laban, and the Spotted Sheep

I’ve always found the passage in Genesis, where Jacob and Laban are setting Jacob’s wages for taking care of Laban’s flocks, to be very confusing.  It was hard to tell the difference between who took which sheep, whose sons watched the animals, etc.  Has anyone else been confused by this?

Today, we were reading the Torah portion for this week, and now I understand it better.  The Holy Spirit showed me the passage in Genesis 30:25-43 in a whole new light, and I got my learn on!  I want to share what I learned, but first, let’s refresh our memories on this passage (Genesis 30:25-43).