It has been said that ‘all you need is love’. But what if you can’t find love in life and, even worse, what if people who are supposed to love you don’t love you? Well you can still succeed in life when you don’t feel love. This is relevant to women and men, old and young and for people of every culture and nation.    There was a lady who has been called the most unloved person in the Bible. She experienced many sad moments in life but in the end, she left an amazing legacy of hope. Her name is Leah which is a name of Hebrew origin meaning ‘tired’ or ‘fatigued’ which is not the most exciting name. And she was married to a man who didn’t have a great name either. He was Jacob which means ‘deceiver’.    But Jacob only married Leah because he himself was deceived by his father-in-law, a scheming guy called Laban. Jacob worked 7 long years for the love of his life which was not Leah but her younger sister Rachel. Jacob was very happy to marry Rachel and to spend his honeymoon night with her. Only that didn’t happen. For the next morning Jacob discovered that the woman he had married was not Rachel but her older sister Leah (Genesis 29:25-30).  1. She knew she wasn’t loved (Genesis 29:28-31) 2. She tried so hard to earn love (Genesis 29:17; Genesis 29:31-34) 3. She found that she was greatly loved by God (Genesis 29:35; Ruth 4:11; Isaiah 53:5) Apply  1. She knew she wasn’t loved. Leah had a dad who didn’t love her. He was very focused on just getting her married off even if it meant tricking her and Jacob into a marriage neither of them wanted. It was just a business deal to Laban. He was not thinking how Jacob would feel and more than that, how his oldest daughter Leah would feel. And then as soon as they married, her husband Jacob quickly made clear who he really loved and quickly married Rachel straight after (Genesis 29:28-30). How devastating for Leah that the Bible says ‘his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah’. What did she feel like when she learned that Jacob was willing to work another seven years, 14 years in total, just to marry Rachel? The Bible tells us simply that the Lord saw Leah was not loved (Genesis 29:31). How terrible. Many people feel like that. Many experiences in life can cause us to feel unloved. Maybe you have experienced this in your own life: Rejection: a baby her parents thought to abort, or a husband who left home; Lack of recognition or affirmation when you did something good; Disapproval; Betrayal by friends, colleagues or others; Verbal or physical Abuse, maybe from parents or from a person in a relationship in the past; Difficult experiences such as sickness; Family breakdown is one of the worst experiences when children don’t grow up with that unconditional love. Maybe also they have a sense of Abandonment, because of a father or mother or the person that represented that in your life left you. All this can lead to lead many problems. Perhaps making bad choices in your relationships, wanting to attach to someone because you feel the need of someone next to you. Maybe you try to find love in sex. Or in rebellion, being contrary and always against something or someone. We find it in the form of liberalism, feminism, and people being exhibitionist, or where they are shy and insecure, sadness, no purpose, or suffering depression. Well life can become difficult in so many ways when you are like Leah who wasn’t loved. And that can lead to other problems.  2. She tried so hard to earn love. Leah always knew that she had imperfections and that she was always second best compared to her beautiful sister (Genesis 29:17). Maybe you can also identify with Leah here. We are often very aware of our imperfections and compare ourselves with others. And then your negative feelings can get even worse if you have a sibling or friend who always is better than you, more beautiful or more successful. And it certainly doesn’t help if parents often compare you to your brother or sister in a negative way. Well Leah had to live with all this, plus understanding as life went on that she really was not loved. So, she tried to earn love in the only way she knew how: by staying at home and having babies. It pulls at the heart to read how desperately Leah hoped her husband would love her by not only having babies, but much valued sons (Genesis 29:31-34). Maybe you too have tried so hard to earn someone’s love but like Leah you still don’t feel loved. On the face of it, Leah’s life was just so sad, but her story didn’t end badly. 3. She found that she was greatly loved by God. Leah’s moment of breakthrough came not at the first birth or second, or third but the 4th time (Genesis 29:35). Leah decided to give a new name to her generations. Judah means literally “thanksgiving" or "praise." The moment she looked up and put her focus on God and not her problems she was full of thanks to God. She became joyful. She didn’t have to keep having babies to be of value. For it was because the Lord had loved her that He helped her to conceive, and He had greater plans for her than she had imagined. Though she didn’t realise it at the time she was helping lay the foundations of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ruth 4:11). And of course it was from the clan of Judah that came David, Israel’s greatest King, who wrote most of the Psalms, which are full of praises to the Lord in all circumstances. And from that same clan of Judah, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came to this earth. Though Jesus all our sins and all our wounds can be healed (Isaiah 53:5). Today is a day for you to know how great the love of God for you is. Let Jesus engrave His love in your heart today. Let His love heal every wound. Look to Him. Thank Him for His kindness and compassion and the plan He has for your life and for your descendants after you. Your decision today will change the course of negativity, or depression, dysfunction and division in your family. Put your sadness behind you. Start to praise Him that you will now have a new legacy of hope and love. You also can receive a great healing, and you could have a better future than you imagine. You can come today into a new line of blessing and receive a great legacy of God’s love and mercy.  

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