"So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her." -Genesis 29:20
I love the way Jacob pursues Rachel and how he worked so hard to prove his love for her. Jacob didn't pursue her out of obligation; but out of a genuine desire in his heart. He was crystal clear from the very beginning what his intentions were: marriage. He wasn't fighting for her heart for a season, but for a lifetime.
One thing that's not included in this story is how Rachel feels about all of this. Was she surprised? Was she humbled? Heck, did she even like Jacob?
How would you feel if you knew someone was willing to work that hard to pursue your heart? As I put myself in Rachel's shoes I begin to wonder:
"Am I worth all that?"
"What do I have that is so special?"
"If only he knew my past, he would change his mind."
God has taught me so much about my identity during my time in South Africa and Swaziland. I can now say that I realize that I am somebody's Rachel. Jesus pursued me, and the beautiful part is that He didn't stop there, He still works hard to fight for my heart because I am His. He fought for my past, my present and all of eternity. Jesus looks at me and says, "You, my beloved, are worth everything and so much more. You are special because you were created in the image of me. You are redeemed, you are pure, and when I look at you I delight in what I see."
He beckons me to believe His promise that He makes all things new. That I am not defined by what I have done, or where I have been, but by who He is and what He is molding me into.
I am somebody's Rachel. I am worth pursuit. I am worth fighting for. And so are you. Man or woman- stop and see how The King of Kings chooses to fight for your heart. He fights for it because He knows when our hearts are in our own hands that pain is the result. He wants to care for us in all ways, but especially when it comes to matters of the heart because He is the best caretaker of such a valued possession.
When we truly place our hearts in Jesus's hands He can strengthen us, protect us, and pour out extravagant love on us.
I am blessed to say that Jesus is my first love, He is the first pursuer of my heart, and that because He has my heart, He has placed me into the arms of my very own Jacob. A Jacob that will wait for me, a Jacob that will fight for me, a Jacob that will look at me the way He does, a Jacob that doesn't look at my past and flee, but a Jacob that loves me unconditionally. A Jacob that doesn't see love as something you fall into, but something that you choose. A Jacob that doesn't desire my heart for a season, but for a lifetime.
My Jacob's name is Justin. And the most beautiful part of our love story is that it is being written as the result of two hearts that are sincerely and continually devoted to Him. Even though miles and oceans currently separate us, we have never been closer. God has blessed our obedience by connecting us in a way we never thought could happen. We are learning and walking into a lifestyle that says, "the closer we become to God, the closer He will bring us." How true it is. How sweet it is. It is worth the wait.
So whether you're reading this and you're a man, a woman, single, divorced, married, a child, a teenager, or somewhere in between rejoice in the fact that your heart is being pursued by Jesus himself. He loves you. He cherishes you. He says you are worth it. He pleads with you not to settle for anything that doesn't resemble His love for you; if it's not unconditional, patient, kind, intentional,and gentle then it's not the love Jesus has for you. You are somebody's Rachel.
