The Jacob & Rachel Love Story (Week 10, Part 2/7) Genesis 28–33 | Feb 28 – Mar 6 – powered by Happy Scribe
After Jacob’s temple experience in Bethel, he tried to find his Kingsman. The first person he meets is his cousin Rachel. Rachel was the daughter of labor, who was Jacob’s uncle and the brother of Jacob’s mother, Rebecca. Jacob falls immediately in love with her. Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept. The love story of Jacob and Rachel is a beautiful one. We can learn a great deal about how to build long lasting relationships through their example. The first thing he does for Rachel is to serve her. He rolls the stone from the well’s mouth and waters the flocks of labor for her. This initial act of service is followed by many years of service for the hand of Rachel. Jacob tells Laban that I will serve thee seven years for Rachel, my younger daughter. Because of the love Jacob felt for Rachel, Jacob willingly served through physical labor for her and her family. Elder Cuthbert, in her conference talk, listed ten blessings of service. I want to touch on two of them. Given Jacob’s example of service to Rachel, service helps us overcome selfishness and sin. Sin is for one’s own Enos, not in others, certainly not for the Lord’s ends.
Service, on the other hand, is unselfish and constitutes a positive power for good service helps us generate love and appreciation. We come to know people by serving them, their circumstances, their challenges, their hopes and aspirations. Elder Holland also warns us to keep the right balance as we serve outside the home. We need to remember that service to our family is of paramount importance.
Elder Holland says, I testify of home and family and marriage, the most precious human possessions of our lives. I testify of the need to protect and preserve them while we find time and ways to serve faithfully in the Church. To raise our families and serve faithfully in the Church, all without running faster than we have. Strength requires wisdom, judgment, divine help, and, inevitably, some sacrifice. Such service inevitably brings challenging decisions about how to balance priorities and how best to be the disciple he wishes us to be.
Second, Jacob served with a happy heart. Seven years is a long time, yet they seemed unto him but a few days for the love he had for Rachel. Jacob’s good cheer made his years of service with by. Sometimes when we serve, we may become discouraged or frustrated by the hard work.
Elder Marvin Jay Ashton reminds us that good cheer is a state of mind or mood that promotes happiness or joy. With God’s help, good cheer permits us to rise above a depressing present or difficult circumstances. It is a process of positive reassurance and reinforcement. It is a Sunshine when clouds block the light.
Third, be patient. Even when family members are being difficult to deal with or even wrong labor. Rachel’s father wanted Leah, his eldest daughter, to be married before Rachel. Using deception on Jacob’s long awaited wedding night, Laban has Leah brought to Jacob rather than Rachel? Jacob doesn’t realize his mistake until the morning. Jacob asks, what is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? Laban answers that he will give Jacob Rachel to be his wife after he spends a week with Leah. But after he marries Rachel, Jacob must serve Laban for another seven years, and Jacob did so. Laban was hard to deal with, yet Jacob moved forward through what some would describe as an impossible situation in order to keep the family peace. Elder Dalinay Oak said.
Why is it so difficult to have Christ love for one another? It’s difficult because we must live among those who do not share our beliefs and values and Covenant obligations. Followers of Christ should be examples of civility. We should love all people, be good listeners, and show concern for their sincere beliefs. Though we may disagree, we should not be disagreeable. We encourage all of us to practice the Savior’s Golden rule. Whatsoever Ye would that men should do to you, do Ye even so to them? When our positions do not prevail, we should accept unfavorable results, graciously and practice civility with our adversaries. In any event, we should be persons of goodwill toward all.
Jacob is a supreme example of patience in dealing with horrific circumstances. Sometimes our trials will not be of that magnitude. Yet we must still find patience in the way we deal with life. Smaller Frustrations Patience is difficult, especially with family members and with worldly circumstances that don’t go our way. In June of 1991, Elder and Sister Nelson accompanied the Tabernacle Choir on their concert tour of Europe. He described one woman’s frustrations, yet her willingness to be patient through the trial.
Patience is one of the most practiced attributes of choir members. Checking into a hotel with a group of 500 travelers and more than 1000 pieces of luggage provided practice and patience nearly every day. One dear sister never did receive her baggage. Her patients flowered into ingenuity as she attempted to feel fresh with the same clothing day after day. Patience is a divine attribute. The Book of Mormon invites us to come to a knowledge of the goodness of God and his matchless power and his wisdom and his patience and his longsuffering toward the children of men.
Because of Jacob’s love for Rachel, he was loving and patient, even with a very difficult fatherinlaw. We can learn from the love story of Jacob and Rachel to serve our spouses out of love with a happy heart and by being patient with other family members who may be difficult or hard to live with. We can also be patient when life throws us a curveball and doesn’t go the way we hoped. Our homes will be a much happier place. If we do so, may we find joy in the Lord as we share service, love, and patience with our families. This weekend.
Guest Author
dyejo
