by natalie horne
Body, mind and soul. They are undeniably interconnected and their conditions are dependent on one another. A healthy body is not a requirement for faith and intimacy with God, but I’ve found in my experience that when I care for the basic needs of my body, my spiritual life flourishes. What we eat, whether or not we exercise, and what we do in our free time can all help or hinder our relationship with the Lord. I can say with confidence from a God-given place of wholeness in Christ, there is a very real tie between my physical wellness and the state of my soul.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
I’ll be happy when…
How many times have you told yourself, “I’ll be happy when ___________”?
You’ll finally be happy when you’re a certain size? When you have a certain possession? When you do a certain thing? When you earn the right amount of money? When you look the right way? When you have that perfect relationship?
The truth is, we all do it, but it never happens. Those worldly desires we cling to will not satisfy the longings of our heart. Not now. Not ever.
Genesis 29 tells us the crazy story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. Jacob was one of Isaac and Rebecca’s sons, and the brother of Esau. We learn in previous chapters in Genesis that Isaac father favored Esau, but Jacob deceived Isaac into giving him the family blessing, despite being the younger brother. Genesis 29 picks up after Jacob flees his home to live with his uncle Laban.
Laban had two daughters: Leah, who had “weak eyes,” and Rachel, who was beautiful and had an attractive figure. When Jacob saw Laban’s daughter Rachel, he fell in love with her and wanted to marry her immediately. Though Jacob was a tricky character, his uncle was much trickier. Lovestruck Jacob agreed to work for 7 years for the promise of marriage to Rachel, and he served the entire contracted time.
When he finished, he demanded that Laban give him Rachel as his wife. They had their ceremony and consummated the marriage, but in the morning, he discovered that the woman he’d married was actually Leah! At first I thought this was crazy. I mean, how much wine would Jacob have had to drink to not be able to tell the difference between weak-eyed Leah and beautiful Rachel? But to his credit, the brides of that time were heavily, heavily veiled and there was not any electricity for him to see her on the wedding night. I guess I’ll give him that one.
Because she knew she would not otherwise have the privilege of marriage, Leah participated in the trickery and acted like she was Rachel. Furious, Jacob went to Laban, called him out, and asked to marry Rachel. Laban agreed to also give Rachel to Jacob, but only in exchange for another 7 years of work.
When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. 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 29:31-35)
I love how God responded to Leah’s brokenness. When he saw that she was not loved, he stepped in and provided for her. Unfortunately, Leah made an idol of Jacob’s love and tried to earn his affection through child-bearing. But, the Lord lets her go through her own trials. He lets her have four children before she finally realizes that rather than desiring approval of man, she should give praise to the one true God who meets all her needs.
What does this story have to do with the “I’ll be happy when” mentality? Everything, really. Jacob wanted Rachel desperately, but when he finally got her (or so he thought), he woke up in the morning disappointed. And while this story is perhaps a bit more twisted than our own “I’ll be happy when” desires, it is relevant because as soon as we get what we’ve been wanting, the satisfaction fades away and we feel disappointed. We go to bed with Rachel, but we wake up with Leah.
The beautiful thing about all this is that although we feel like unwanted, rejected Leah, God views us as if we were Rachel. When he sees that we are not loved by the world, he provides. Through the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah, we can understand that we are desired and relentlessly pursued by the one who actually will bring us joy and satisfaction.
What have you been believing will make you happy? What desires of this world are you serving right now? How can you turn from those idols, embrace the Lord’s provision and praise him for what he has done and is doing in your life?
