For Every Leah

You are worthy to be loved, accepted, and valued simply because God created you perfectly. Unfortunately, in our world, we typically assign worth by arbitrary, unfair, and constantly shifting standards of physical attractiveness, and in so doing, we set the stage for untold misery for those who don’t measure up. But even if others don’t recognize you as an amazing creation of the Almighty, never forget that God sees you as something special.

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 29:16, 30-32

Now Laban had two daughters [that Jacob married]; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel… Jacob’s love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah… When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

You are worthy to be loved, accepted, and valued simply because God created you perfectly. Even if others don’t recognize that, never forget that God sees you as something special.

Unfortunately, in our world, we typically assign loveliness by arbitrary, unfair, and constantly shifting standards of attractiveness—and rarely are those internal qualities—and in so doing, we set the stage for untold misery for those who don’t measure up. And holidays like Valentine’s Day can exacerbate the feelings for those who receive no “Happy Vallentine’s, will you be mine?” card

In the Bible story found in Genesis 29, Jacob desires to marry the beautiful Rachel but is duped into marrying her not-so-attractive older sister Leah. (Genesis 29:16-23) Unfortunately for Leah, she wasn’t Jacob’s type. Genesis 29:17 tells us, “Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form and beautiful.” In Hebrew, that’s a polite way of saying Leah was ugly. Likely that is not news to her. She is fully aware of how people perceive her, and to add insult to injury, her little sister, Rachel, is absolutely beautiful.

Imagine the comparisons Leah lived her entire life—sometimes openly, sometimes in the not-so-subtle whispers and stares of others, including her family. Every day, Leah faced the pain of rejection that not having the right looks brings because, in truth, she—and every woman—wants to be told she is beautiful and desirable.

Picture her fear of going to bed with Jacob that night, knowing that the truth will be exposed in the first light of day. She will wake up yet again unwanted, unnoticed, unloved—again coming in second—because, as C.S. Lewis wrote, “in the morning it’s always Leah.”

Imagine that sinking feeling when she hears her new husband yelling at her father for foisting on him the ugly one—the one he didn’t want. And in her mind, her worthlessness is once again validated that the only way she will find love and get married is through pretense or a payoff.

But by hook or by crook she has gained a husband, and now she must command his affection. So in vain, Leah begins a creative attempt to capture Jacob’s heart—bearing babies. In Genesis 29:31-30:24, we become witness to a baby race: over the next 20 years, these two wives and their two concubines try to outdo each other to get the upper hand with Jacob by bearing 12 sons.

But for Leah, no matter how many babies are born, nothing changes—still no flowers, no candy, and no affection. With each new child, “in the morning, it’s still Leah.” Notice Leah’s diminishing expectations with each successive birth. In 29:32, when Reuben was born, there are still high hopes, “Now my husband will love me.” Thinking she can lure Jacob’s love, she names the baby Rueben, which means “a son.” After all, what husband wouldn’t love a wife who could give him a son? But those longings for a sizzling, romantic relationship become simply a fleeting hope for some expression of affection in Genesis 29:34 when her third son, Levi, is born: “This time my husband will become attached [attracted] to me.” Finally, many years later, in Genesis 30:20, when she bears her sixth and last son, Zebulun, Leah says, “Now will my husband dwell with me because I have given him six sons” By this time, she’d be satisfied with just a token—that Jacob would just spend more time with her.

Understandably, she’s looking to Jacob to meet a need that God had planted in her heart by design. But because of sin, the sad fact is, no other person will ever fully meet that need. Jacob can’t for Leah, and no one—husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend will do it for you. Only when we allow God to fill us will our deepest longing for belonging be met.

Leah began to get that along the way. When Judah was born in Genesis 29:35, she says, “Now will I praise the Lord.” The sad reality was, this relationship between Leah and Jacob never sizzled. But something did begin to happen in Leah’s character to win Jacob over. As you get to the end of this saga in Genesis 49:29-31, we find Jacob is an old widower. He has outlived both Leah and Rachel. His last recorded request is to be buried next to Leah. At death, Jacob made his last pledge of love to weak-eyed Leah, not the beautiful Rachel. In the end, Leah’s character, not her curves, won Jacob’s respect—and his heart.

The truth is, most likely we will never change the way sin-tainted people assign value to us. In the eyes of some, worth may continue to evade us. No matter what, “in the morning we will still be Leah.” But when we make God our primary source of love, acceptance, and affection, he can satisfy those deep longings.

While cultural standards of worth apart from Christ continually change—God’s standards don’t. He always finds you worthy of his love. So, while human love and value are wonderful, make God your first and primary source of significance. If you are looking to find fulfillment in another person, every relationship will be a desperate, never-ending search for another to complete you. Only God should occupy that role—and only he can meet that need!

God loves you! So much so that he sent his Son to die to redeem you, and you are his forever. Now that must mean you are something incredibly special. Never forget that.