LEARN FROM LEAH

There is something about being second that hurts. It feels like you're always almost there, and worst yet, not good enough to be first. Our girl, Leah, has something to teach us.

Leah's life story is proof that God uses the overlooked, the unloved, and the second-place winners for His greatest purposes. She married Jacob through deception, and for most of her life, her more beautiful sister, Rachel, overshadowed her. She knew what it felt like to be unwanted; the Bible says Jacob "loved Rachel more than Leah."

Despite her heartbreak, Leah kept turning to God. With the birth of her first three sons, she expressed hope, pain, and longing. But with her fourth son, Judah, something shifts. She names him Judah, meaning "praise," declaring, "This time I will praise the Lord." She finally moves past seeking love from her husband and finds her ultimate value and comfort in God alone.

Leah chose to praise the Lord even in her disappointment; she received an incredible honour: she became the mother of the priestly tribe (Levi, through whom Aaron and Moses came) and the royal tribe (Judah, the lineage of King David and, ultimately, Jesus Christ). The redeemer of the world came through the line of the woman who felt least important.

From Leah, we learn that it is not about being noticed, that defines our worth or who loves us, but by the God who chose us. Don't let feelings of being second-best stop you from giving God first-place praise.