From Grumbling to Gratitude...Escaping Self-Pity's Snareনমুনা

Love: “I Am Rejected”

It’s always most tempting to compare ourselves to those closest to us. Today’s reading features yet another sibling pair – Leah and Rachel. Leah was known for her weak eyes, Rachel for her beauty.

Jacob was obsessed with Rachel but indifferent toward Leah. To discard his undesirable daughter, their father Laban, tricked Jacob into marrying both women. I can’t imagine Leah’s shame when a horrified Jacob discovered her at sunrise.

The rejection lasted years. A miserable Leah hoped with each new son that her husband might become attached. How heartbreaking to watch her sister receive the affection she desperately craved.

Leah’s grief hits close to me as an older single. Yet like Leah, many people feel unloved by their spouse. Other family and friends can also desert us. Who never feels lonely?

Leah interpreted major life events–the births of her first three children–in light of Jacob’s disinterest. Yearning for these births to fix her marriage, she could not fully enjoy motherhood. Rejection may be part of our story, but self-pity paints it as our WHOLE story. One way I combat that lie is through a daily gratitude list recording God’s goodness to me.

At the birth of her fourth son, something changed in Leah. This time, she didn’t mention Jacob but named their newborn Judah, which means “Praise.” She declared: “This time, I will praise the Lord.”

Leah realized God saw, knew, and loved her. She chose to celebrate God’s faithfulness, even in a painful marriage. Leah’s choice reflected the truth. Jacob’s flawed love for her perished with him millennia ago; God’s love for her burns brightly into eternity.

Leah and Judah were chosen for Christ’s lineage. In the Trinity, Jesus experienced the full perfection of divine love and, like Leah, the agony of rejection. On the cross, Jesus called out not “My Father” but “My God.” Nobody was ever more outcast–not only betrayed by humans but forsaken by his Father.

Christ’s love for us compelled him to endure abandonment! While we rejected God, he chose us. Now, his everlasting devotion buoys his children through every heartache. In Christ, we receive infinitely more love than we deserve.

Prayer: Lord, though human love is temporary at best, your love endures. Thank you for being forsaken so I could be chosen. When I grieve rejection, help me praise you, savoring your delight in me.