Earning Love

Read Genesis 29:14–20

Reflection

Many of our greatest plays or movies are centered around love that is just out of reach. Romeo and Juliet, for example, just can’t seem to overcome the family feud and, in the end, tragically die because their love is too great for them to be able to live without each other. The point, we presume, is that love is all-consuming and we would do anything for it.

Our human nature compels us to go after the thing we love the most, especially if it is beautiful and makes us feel good about ourselves. We don’t know whether or not Jacob’s love was all about Rachel’s beauty but we do know that she was beautiful. Rachel was the object of Jacob’s affection and he would do anything to have her; he worked and waited for 14 years!

If we stop to consider Leah in this story, it holds its own sadness. Imagine how she might have felt about the fact that she, the older sister, was not being considered for marriage. This may have been a story repeated over time, that fed her insecurity about the way she looked, and about whether or not she felt worthy of being loved.

Our present life is not that different, really. You might feel like Leah at times. You might be insecure about your imperfections and feel that you are not worth being fought for. The problem is that we look to other humans to make us feel worthy, when, in reality, you have a Lover of your soul, Jesus, who worked so hard to win your love, that He died on a Cross. For you. To Him, you are worth it. You are loved.

Consider and Pray

What insecurities have been plaguing you lately? Consider how much Christ showed His Love for you on the Cross and pray that He would show you how loved you are in His eyes.