Love At First Sight
It is really amazing to see how a person changes when they fall in love. They walk different, they spend more time before the mirror, they smile a lot and it seems they have less need for sleep then they ever had before. Love is a mystery for sure.
Jacob had this experience when he met Rachel. Some chemical reaction went off in him and he knew that she was the one for him. Even though her father put restrictions on their relationship, he was more than willing to pay the price. Seven years past as if it were a day and now he would receive what he had been waiting and laboring for. It was the “hope set before him” that gave him the ability to be patient. Rachel was good looking. She was all he wanted.
The wedding day came, they celebrated until late in the night and Jacob became drunk with expectation only to wake up the next day to find he didn’t have what he really wanted. Instead of Rachel by his side, there was Leah, her older sister. He felt deceived and greatly disappointed. Leah is noted as having poor eyesight. She wasn’t the “good looker” that Rachel was. She had a weak vision.
So often we begin our Christian life with such high expectations. We have been smitten by the love of God and have a vision of experiencing a life full of blessings and joy. As our life changes and we are full of enthusiasm and energy, it is easy to go the extra mile in serving the Lord. But then come the disappointments and after a time we realize that what we have is not what we thought we would have. Our vision becomes clouded and our love grows cold. What do we do next?
What did Jacob do? Even though he was disappointed with what he had, he regained his focus, renewed his first love and continued to work toward his goal. Don’t accept the “weak vision”, the second best, the plan B that the turns of life present to you. Don’t accept mediocrity. Keep your eyes on God’s best. The love you had at first is still yours and it is within your reach.
With every adversity and set back, there is a choice to be made. We can choose to be bitter or better. We can react in disgust and give up, or we can buck up and allow the love of God to mold us into His image. This world is full of bumps in the road, just don’t stop. Go for the gold.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Genesis 29; Revelations 2.4; Hebrews 12.2; I Corinthians 13