Genesis 29:23-30
But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)

But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”

“It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. “But wait until the bridal week is over, then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”

So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.) So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah.

Do you sometimes feel like Leah? Maybe the "Rachel" in your home is the TV, Online Gaming, Sports, the Secretary at your husband's work, etc. We all have our Rachel's. But the story doesn't stop there.

In verse 31, God sees Leah and blesses her. Some times we may not feel loved or second best in others eyes, but remember that God sees us when we are discouraged. He knows our heart and our desires. There is light beyond our darkness. Just try God. He is our husband, our provider, our ultimate source of love.

Blessings & Sacrafice

Abraham is an amazing man of God. Anybody who is familiar with the Bible would probably agree. Lately I've been studying his life and I've seen some amazing lessons for us today.

Genesis 15:6
"And Abraham believe the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith."

Abraham was an old man without any children, when God came to him and told him he would be the father of a nation. Because he believed God about this miracle, God saw him as a righteous man.

Sometimes our circumstances look bleak. The desires of heart impossible and out of reach. But God sees beyond our years and knows our future. We just need to believe God is in control and he will bless us, for this is the holy thing to do.

Now we know God gave him this son. And if you wait for anything long enough, you really cherish it, probably more than most. And it was that very blessing that God asked for Abraham to sacrifice. None of us mothers could possibly imagine placing our children on an altar. The very thought makes me cringe. But there was a lesson here.

Genesis 22:12b,16,17
"You have not withheld from me even your son, your ONLY son...Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son...I will certainly bless you."

The ultimate sacrifice, to give of his son. I have trouble turning off the TV or giving up a meal for Christ and yet, Abraham was willing to give up his own son. And God blessed him for his sacrifice.

The thing that struck me most here is God doesn't ask anything of us that He wouldn't do for us. He spared Abraham's son by sending a lamb. But Jesus, God's own son, wasn't spared. He died for us all. When we think of Abraham we see that we need to trust God with our future and then be ready to sacrifice some things. We are not alone in our grief, but know that God promises to bless us for our belief and obedience.