As humans, we have the tendency to look for love in all the wrong places. We spend so much time doing extra time at work and going out of our way to do things so that our bosses love and value us. We spend extra time getting dressed up so that man or woman would just take a glance at us and maybe give us a chance. We spend all the money (we don’t have) to get dressed up and look our absolute best JUST so that people will see us and accept us. “Maybe, just maybe if I have the new shoes everyone is raving about more people will like me…”. We as humans look for love in people, in money, in acceptance, at work, in relationships and in so many other places that will NEVER truly satisfy us, that will never provide us with the love that we NEED.
I was reading the story about Leah in the Bible. Leah was the wife of Jacob… by accident. You see.. Jacob worked for 7 years for Laban (the father of both Leah and Rachel) to have the opportunity to marry his younger daughter, Rachel. Finally when the 7 years came to an end there was a marriage feast with drinking and eating and that night, Laban, deceptively gave Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel. Leah was the less attractive one from the both of them. So now, Jacob was basically stuck with Leah.
Could you imagine a man HAVING to be with you while not wanting to? The pain and hurt that Leah must have been feeling was intense. She was looking for love in her husband, but all she was receiving was rejection. Laban claimed to have done this because in their country the firstborn was to get married first. Jacob still loved Rachel so he then worked another 7 years and eventually became the husband of Rachel and loved her more. God seeing that Leah was unloved, opened her womb and allowed her to have children. She had 4 sons. With each she made a statement. They are as follows. Her first son she named Reuben she said “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me”. She then had her second son and named him “Simeon” and she said “Because the Lord heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also”. Her 3rd son she named, Levi and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him 3 sons”. She finally had her last son, she named him Judah, and she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” She then stopped bearing.
Notice…. She continued to bear children as she looked for the love of her husband. She thought well may be this time he’ll love me. I’m sure that after he didn’t love her, child after child, she just felt more and more empty. Finally, when she decided that she would look to the Lord for love, she no longer needed to bear children. She was fully satisfied by His love.
This story can still be applied today. You can look for love, try and win love and you will NEVER EVER be satisfied if your looking in the wrong places. Allow Jesus to wrap you up in His perfect Love. He will never let you go and you will be fully satisfied. His love is the only love that you truly need.
I also want to add a little bit to this that’s a little off topic. Remember how at first I mentioned how we dress up to impress and to be loved? Do you also remember how I said that Leah wasn’t the prettiest one? Well the Bible actually says that Rachel was beautiful and that Leah was not. God doesn’t see us by our outward appearance. God didn’t think “Well since Rachel is the prettier one, I’ll open her womb.” God looks at the heart.
You can find the story of Leah in Genesis 29.
Look to God for the most satisfying love,
-Valerie