trbccoffeebreak

“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister.  So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die.”  Genesis 30:1 (NIV)
Quite the ultimatum, Rachel lost sight of her desire for motherhood and exchanged it for a competitive race with her sister Leah.   The two were married to one man, Jacob – how’s that for marital bliss. Jacob loved Rachel; however, Leah was the mega baby producing wife.  She had no problem getting pregnant, so Leah attempted to use her fertility to gain the love of Jacob.  Rachel was barren, and her fixed gaze on Leah led her into a pit of discontentment.  Manipulating handmaids as surrogate mothers, these two sisters desperately tried to out do the other as the seeds of jealousy grew in abundance.  And when God opened Rachel’s womb, her words reflected the discontent in her heart:  “God has taken away my disgrace. May the Lord add to me another son.”  The infant nestled in her arms wasn’t enough to satisfy the raging battle within her soul.  How many times have we fixed our gaze on God’s blessings in someone’s life and nursed discontent in our own?  Like Rachel, we can become obsessed with our own idea of fulfillment and miss the hand of God’s blessing upon our lives.  By fixing our gaze on God, and not people, we can avoid the drama of a soul eaten up with jealousy.

“Father, Help our words to reflect a heart that is truly satisfied in You and Your unfailing love.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break