Mothers of the BibleSample

Learning From Leah: How to Find True Joy

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. —Genesis 29:35, NIV

One afternoon, as I scrolled through Instagram on my couch, I couldn’t help but notice all the picture-perfect families so impeccably posed on my feed. One post in particular caught my eye: I stared at a beautiful family smiling on a beach vacation. The children were beaming, the parents looked effortlessly happy and the water behind them was a gorgeous blue. The photos were stunning, so why did I feel a sting in my heart?

I couldn’t help but compare my messy house and the havoc of my day to the highlight reel of their life. In that moment, I realized how often I let others’ curated lives make me feel like I’m falling short. Like my life isn’t good enough. Like I’m not good enough.

Leah’s story in Genesis resonates deeply with this struggle. Leah was Jacob’s first wife, but she lived in the shadow of her sister, Rachel, who was Jacob’s true love. In her desperation for Jacob’s affection, Leah bore her first three sons longing for his approval. “Surely my husband will love me now” (Genesis 29:32, NIV), she said when her firstborn, Reuben, arrived. Yet, the validation she sought never came.

But something remarkable happened with the birth of her fourth child. Genesis 29:35 tells us, “She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord.’ So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children” (NIV). If you’re into etymology, you might know that Judah’s name means “praised.”

This time, we see that Leah’s focus has shifted. She stopped looking to Jacob’s love to define her and found joy in praising the Lord instead. Her joy no longer depended on others—it was rooted in God’s unchanging love for her.

But it doesn’t end there. Wanna know the best part of the story, mama? It was through Judah’s lineage that Jesus was born, and humanity was given a savior.

Challenge: So, today, write down three things you’re grateful for on a sticky note. Then, place the sticky note somewhere visible—on your bathroom mirror, your fridge or even on your bedside table—to remind yourself that true joy comes from being fully seen and deeply loved by God.