You.

Surely my husband will love me now. Genesis 29, verse 32 Rachel and Leia were sisters who were married to the same man. That alone was troublesome enough. But when Leia began having children while Rachel suffered from infertility, matters went from bad to worse. Through no fault of her own, Leia was thrust into a marriage to a man who was not in love with her. Although she was legally married to him and her physical needs were being met, her emotional needs were never addressed and remained unmet. As a result, Leia felt lonely, unaccepted, unloved and unfulfilled. When Leia gave birth to her firstborn son, she said, surely my husband will love me now. She thought things would change because of the baby. They didn't. With the birth of a second son, her hopes for love and acceptance were again raised. Those hopes, too, met with disappointment. A third son was born, Ele said, now my husband will be attached to me. As before, however, her hopes were nothing more than wishful thinking. A subtle change in Leia's attitude can be seen when her fourth son was born. This time, Leah made no mention of her desire for her husband's love and affection. Instead, she said, this time I will praise the Lord. From that time on, the focus of Leia's interest seems to have shifted from the perfect life and marriage she had no doubt once envisioned to a life dedicated to praising the Lord. Since her pursuit of happiness had only ended in emptiness with the birth of her first three sons, Leia resolved to place her attention on the Lord, praising him despite less than ideal circumstances. And when she gave birth to a fifth son, she cried, God has rewarded me. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for Leah. Yet there is much that is commendable in her life. Despite loneliness, frustrations and undesired circumstances, Leia remained faithful, hopeful, honest about her feelings and responsible. Our circumstances may not be any more ideal than Lea's. Whether a frustrating relationship, health issues, financial concerns or other things equally unappealing, we may be tempted to give in to depression, disappointment and despair. I hope we can learn something from Leia. Although her hopes were dashed again and again, and although her pursuit of happiness always seemed to come up empty, she found strength to praise God. Despite personal disappointment, pain and frustration, Leah remained faithful and responsible. Can the same be said about us?

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected] have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the.