The day Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s temptation, God’s Kingdom on earth was turned upside down. Since then, the halls of time have echoed with the treacherous dealing of the powerful against the weak. We walked this painful path early in Genesis with Hagar and Sarah. And even now, while none of us need to look far to hear the echoes of this oppressive sin, some of us need not look farther than our own front door. 

Oppression has a sickening heartbeat. But, when we lock arms with the women who walked this path first, the women of Genesis, perhaps surprisingly we hear whispers of hope for our today.

The Bible describes Leah as a “hated” woman. Leah first appears in Scripture when, by means of deception and dishonesty, she was given in marriage to a man who did not want her. Used as a pawn by her father, and then hated by her husband, no doubt insecurities and shame must have rumbled like a freight train through her heart and mind. Her husband loved another, but had been tricked into marrying Leah. 

Leah was stuck. Unloved. Despised. Rejected. 

In a culture that prized women solely for the children they could bear, we catch a glimpse into Leah’s growing desperation for love and approval as she names her first three children. 

Reuben: “For now my husband will love me.”

Simeon: “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, He has given me this son also.”

Levi: “Now this time my husband will be attached to me.”

Rejection is a pit, a chasm deep and dark. A place that would leave the strongest among us feeling desperate. Desperate for love and attention. Desperate for acceptance and good standing. Desperate to not be the one hated. Desperation driven by rejection. The Bible records Leah as the first woman to ask the age old question that haunts the heart of every woman, “Am I loved?”

Perhaps you know the rotting despair of this question. Perhaps you have had a father who mistreated you, or a husband who rejected you. A boss who demeaned you, or a friend who maligned you. A church who shamed you, or a sister-in-Christ who betrayed you. If this is the case, then Leah’s story is your story. 

As the fires of rejection burn, we come to realize that all we hoped would bring us love and worth is completely incapable of doing so. The raging fire drives us into the Presence of God, and there we find Jesus. Our Savior. At that moment, His sweet Presence ignites our praise.  

Praise is the hinge that swings wide the door so that God’s sustaining grace floods in.

Listen to Leah as the hinges turn and she names her fourth child. 

Judah: “This time I will praise the Lord.” 

This is the thing, you don’t need to find your way out of shame and anguish to find your voice of praise. Leah was no more loved on the day she named Judah than on the day she named Simeon, “Now my husband will love me.” When our lives are miserable and disagreeable, praise reaffirms in our hearts all that is glorious and beautiful. Sometimes, the most beautiful praise ignites from the fierce heat of suffering.

If the fires are raging, and you feel unloved, despised, and rejected, follow the example of Leah. This time, praise the Lord. Stop singing the song of shame and surrender to the chorus of Praise. In the deepest valley, hear His songs of love wash over you, and open your weary heart to echo back His glory and beauty with increasing joy.

Praise will douse the fires of shame and rejection, but ignite the fires of beauty and glory. Read His Word, listen to worship, and spend time in fellowship. You will be reminded of you whose you are and who you are, Beloved of God!

The Lord your God is in your midst,

    a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

    he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

This afternoon, after 2 of my children created another chocolate chip cookie disaster, I walked across my sugar-coated floor and surveyed the day’s damage. Clutter cozied into every corner. Dried muddy footprints lined the front hallway, and my goodness, the art box! 

In a moment of desperation, I traded free reign of the art box for 2 hours of moderate quiet. I know for some moms this doesn’t seem too startling, but for me, the idea of a glitter and glue explosion is the stuff of nightmares. I operate a highly managed art box, solely giving rations based on academic needs.

Like you, my daily rhythms drastically changed. Like you, I feel overwhelmed and undermanned in my new Corona-induced roles. You are not alone! 

I currently spend the majority of my day on the 3 main essentials:  Homeschool Teacher.  Cook.  Mediator. 

All else is simply non-essential. As the school clutter inevitably grows, my other visions for Spring are shoved aside. Mix in the fight against stress, fear and anxiety, and our new Corona-induced roles daunt us even more. 

Overwhelmed by the heavy lift in our new reality, it is like we are all facing 10 Camels!

Walk with me back to Genesis for a moment. 

Close to his death, Abraham instructed his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Abraham forbade the servant to take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites, but rather, to travel back to his family to find a mate for Isaac. The servant began his journey and took with him 10 camels. 

This seems an obscure detail. You may have read this passage a thousand times and still missed it. However, the significance thunders into our reality today. 

Loaded with all the essentials, the camels’ long, knobby legs lumbered their way towards Abraham’s homeland. It would be a long journey, but camels are equipped for long treks in the desert. Onward the servant went, away from Canaan and toward Abraham’s ancestral land. 

And perhaps, while the servant bumped along on his camel, he pondered how to find the right wife for Abraham’s beloved son Isaac. She would have to be gracious and kind, hard-working, and a bit adventurous. The servant decided what he would do. He would go to the well at the time the young women of the village came to draw water. The woman who offered this travel-weary man a drink, and also offered to draw water for his camels, would be the one. 

The servant prayed. The women began to arrive. Then, towards him walked Rebekah.

Did you know that a thirsty camel can drink about 30 gallons at one time?

If we do our math correctly, 30 Gallons x 10 Camels = 300 Gallons.

Assuming that Rebekah was a strong woman, she could carry about 5 gallons of water at one time. 300 Gallons/5 Gallons = 60 TRIPS. 

Ancient wells were unlike the ones of the American Colonial days. There was no rope to pull up a bucket. Rebekah would walk down a few stairs, bend over to fill her jar, lift the heavy jar onto her shoulder, walk back up the stairs, and dump the water in the feeding trough. 60 TIMES!

Rebekah would have seen the 10 camels and known the heavy lifting required to water them. I’m not sure I would offer to do such a task for a strange man from a strange land!

But not Rebekah. She was ready and willing to do the heavy lifting. She saw the camels and offered to make the 60 trips to bring up water. 

She had the heart of a servant, and she chose to act.  

Coronavirus isolation measures are our 10 camels. This is our moment! Cloistered in close with our families. Mediating fights. Homeschooling. Cooking. Working from home, or not working at all. It is so much heavy lifting. 

But I see you! 

I see you working to relearn 7th grade math, wrestling with kids to complete their English assignment and manage their boredom. I see you nursing your babies in the middle of the night and making PB&J sandwiches with one hand while holding your crying baby in the other. I see you balancing work and kids, kids and work, and attempting to remain sane. I see you dressing in scrubs, masks, gloves, and goggles as you head into the ICU to serve. I see you reaching out in love to your elderly neighbors, delivering flowers and groceries, and calling to check on a grandma. I see you making more daily snacks than you usually do, cleaning the kitchen a million times, and mitigating screen-time like a pro. I see you reading a few extra picture books at night, tickling their toes and whispering your love.

Women across the ages have overcome unique challenges with the fortitude of a serving heart. You are marching in the ranks of heroes. I am so proud of you all! But mostly, God is proud of you. Well done, good and faithful servant. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

Listen to my teaching on this passage from Genesis 23-25, Watering 10 Camels: The Legacy of a Servant in https://heatherjjonsson.com/my-teaching/