LISTEN ONLINEAs a child, when asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ben would say, “I want to be like Dave.” Ben’s older brother was athletic, sociable and always got top marks at school. Ben, on the other hand, says, “I was clumsy in sports, timid and struggled with a learning disability. I’d always wanted a close relationship with Dave, but he didn’t. He called me ‘the boring one.’ ”
Ben spent much of his life pursuing his older brother’s love in vain. It was only when Ben became a follower of Jesus that he learned to rest in the love of his Saviour instead.
Leah, the first wife of Jacob, spent much of her life pursuing her husband’s love (Genesis 29:32-35). Jacob, however, remained devoted to Rachel. But God saw Leah’s plight and made up for the rejection in her life. He blessed her by allowing her to be a mother, a great honour in her culture at that time (v. 31). Leah, unseen and unheard by her husband, was lovingly seen and heard by God (vv. 32-33). She gave birth to a daughter and six sons, one of whom was Judah, a forefather of Jesus Himself. She said at his birth, “This time I will praise the Lord” ( v. 35). Leah lived a long life in Canaan and was buried in a place of honour—with Jacob’s family (49:29-32).
When we experience rejection, let’s find comfort in Leah’s story. We can rest in the love of God, who makes up for what we lack.