Many people are familiar with the story of the ugly duckling that, though ridiculed and persecuted for being so unattractive, eventually grew into a beautiful swan. It is an encouraging story for children who fear they are ugly ducklings because the promise of puberty can bring about incredible transformation in their lives.

But what are we to do when we are all grown up and still find ourselves unattractive? No matter how others may try to encourage us, we are still bothered by our imperfections. We are too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, too dark, too light. Our noses need to be fixed, our wrinkles need to be stretched, our hair needs to be thickened...and the list goes on and on. What do we do when we think we are ugly ducklings? Is there a story to encourage us? In fact, there is. Forget the fables! We have a real life story to inspire us now. 

Leah was Jacob's first wife, but sadly, not  the first lady of her house. In fact, her husband never wanted to marry her in the first place. Jacob did not love Leah as much as he loved her sister, Rachel. Rather, he was deceived into marrying her by her father, Laban, who also happened to be his uncle. Laban was the brother of Jacob’s mother, Rebekah. That meant Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel, were Jacob’s first cousins.

Indiana is one of only six states in America that allows marriage between first cousins, but it only permits this under one condition—both spouses must be at least 65 years old! Jacob was not even close to that age. Neither were his cousins. Leah was the older sister and the Bible describes her as having “weak eyes.” Whether  that meant she was cross-eyed, half-blind  or needed thick glasses is unclear. However, reading between the lines, what seems clear is that Leah was also an ugly duckling, because the Bible describes her younger sister, Rachel as “lovely in form, and beautiful.” (Gen. 29:17) Apparently, Jacob had an eye for beauty, because he chose to marry Rachel. Ironically, his own character was far from beautiful.

We often associate the name, Jacob with the label, "deceiver," and for good reason. Jacob was slick. He tricked his brother, Esau out of his birthright and deceived his father, Isaac, into blessing him instead. But if being a weasel is a genetic trait, then Jacob was definitely related to Laban because his uncle was even sneakier than he was!

Jacob was a free spirit when he first met his uncle. However, when he fell in love with Rachel, he offered to obligate himself to Laban for seven years in exchange for her hand in marriage. Laban agreed, but behind Jacob’s back, he devised a devious scheme. When those seven years were up, he threw a wedding feast, most likely with an abundance of alcoholic wine. The Bible is not specific about what happened next, but perhaps at the party, Jacob celebrated his success: “After so many years of messing up,” he thought, “I’m finally doing the right thing. I’ve honestly earned the privilege of marrying the love of my life. I’ve got Rachel now and that’s all that matters! Finally, my life is on track.”

Laban smiled and proposed a toast to the marriage and Jacob happily drank to that. But he didn’t know when to stop. In the celebration of the moment, he kept drinking until he was totally inebriated. That night, as Jacob lay in a drunken stupor, Laban surreptitiously replaced Rachel with Leah. And in dramatic fashion, the Bible simply says, “when morning came, there was Leah.”

Ouch! We can only imagine how shocked and disappointed Jacob must have been. Now his uncle had the upper hand once again, and he redefined the ground rules. “Finish this week with Leah,” he said, “and I’ll give you Rachel, too, if you will agree to work for me for another seven years.”

Because he loved Rachel so much, Jacob had no choice but to agree, and in the process of all this trickery and deception, Leah found herself in a private hell. Not only was she married to a man who wanted nothing to do with her, but she now came second to the wife he did love, and worst of all, that wife was her younger sister!

This brings us to some of the saddest words in the Bible, because when Leah begins to give birth to her sons, she names them according to her longing to be loved by her husband. According to Gen. 29:32-34, she names her firstborn, Reuben, because “the Lord has seen my misery.” She names her second son, Simeon, because “the Lord heard that I am not loved.” And when her third son is born, she names him, Levi, saying “Now at last my husband will become attached to me.”

The implications are heart wrenching. With every birth, she hopes, “Maybe this time he will see me. Maybe this time, he will hear me. Maybe this time, he will cling to me. But that prayer is never answered for Leah in the way she hopes. It would be so easy for her to become bitter. It would be so easy for her to give up on her marriage. It would be so easy for her to become angry at God. But her response blows us all away. When she gives birth to her fourth son, she realizes her prayer will never be answered in the way she desires, but she refuses to surrender to discouragement. Instead, she gives her son a name that triumphs over despair. She names him, Judah, saying, “This time I will praise the Lord.”  What a testimony of faith in the midst of despondency!

Leah’s story is an important reminder for us today, because it tells us that the bad news of our earthly situation will eventually give way to the good news of God’s ultimate answer for our lives. But before we can appreciate the good news, we must first understand the bad news, and the first bad news is that:

1) As sinners, we are all dysfunctional people.

In other words, there is no such thing as a perfect spouse, or a perfect marriage, or a perfect family. There is no such thing as a perfect boss, or a perfect employee, or a perfect client. There is no such thing as a perfect pastor, or a perfect teacher, or a perfect church member, because to one degree or another, we are all dysfunctional human beings. Have you ever wondered why the Bible is full of stories of dysfunctional people and families? The answer is because that is who we are. Give us enough time apart from God and we will destroy ourselves. When it comes right down to it, we are all just messed up people in need of the grace of God. That brings us to the second piece of bad news, which is that:

2) In the morning, it is always Leah.

In other words, no matter how wonderful something may seem in your imagination, no matter how glorious your vision might be, the reality will ultimately disappoint you. That marriage you think is so perfect will eventually reveal its faults. That dream job you hope will solve your financial problems will ultimately stress your life. That perfect vacation that is supposed to help you recharge your batteries will end up tiring you out even more. Why? Because ultimately, what you are really longing for in marriage, what you are really searching for in your career, what you are really hoping for by going on expensive vacations cannot be satisfied by anything in this world. In the morning, it is always Leah.

That is why the Gospel is such good news, because even though we are dysfunctional and disappointed in this life, God has the answer to our hopeless situation. So take courage, because here is the good news! First,

1) God works through dysfunctional people to accomplish His will for our lives.

The Bible tells us that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Praise God for that, because as we have already pointed out, we are all dysfunctional people at best. Left to ourselves, we will eventually mess up. Jacob’s family was no exception. From Abraham’s and Sara’s fiasco with Hagar, to Isaac’s and Rebekah’s favoritism of their children, to Jacob’s and Esau’s feud, and now Laban’s deception…this was one dysfunctional family!

If you have ever been deceived or hurt by a family member, you know how much more painful it can be than usual because blood is supposed to be thicker than water. Laban’s deception really hurt Jacob. And we cannot even imagine how it must have hurt Leah and Rachel, his own daughters! And yet, in some mysterious way, it might have been because of Laban and his hurtful deceptiveness that Jacob finally began to see himself for who he really was.

When we read about his experience with Laban, we are tempted to ask why Jacob did not retaliate against his uncle. Why did he not create more of a fuss and demand what was rightfully his? We cannot be sure but perhaps it was because he began to see that what his uncle was doing to him was what he had been doing to others all along. Maybe he began to see himself reflected in Laban and he detested what he saw. But whatever the reason, this experience marked a turning point in Jacob’s life.

That is good news, to know that God is working, even through the “Labans” in our lives today, to mold and make us into the people He created us to be for His glory. This brings us to the second piece of good news which is that:

2) In the end, it is always Jesus.

What is so sadly fascinating about Leah’s story is how she turns to her husband for love every time she bears a child for him. Reuben—now my husband will see me. Simeon—now my husband will listen to me. Levi—now my husband will cling to me…But when she gives birth to her fourth child, something radically changes. No longer does Leah look to her husband for love. No longer does she look to her children for validation. Instead, in her loneliness and suffering, she looks through eyes of faith to the only One who can give her what she really needs. She looks to God and bravely says, “This time I will praise the Lord.” And she names her child, Judah.

Why is that important to us? It is important because it was through the line of Judah, that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into our world. How could that be? Why would God choose Leah, the ugly duckling, to be a mother to His only begotten Son? The Bible tells us, “When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb.”

Do you know what that tells us about God? It tells us God is attracted to the weak. It tells us He is attracted to the poor in spirit. It tells us He is attracted to the heavy laden. It tells us He is attracted to the downtrodden. It tells us He is attracted to the ones no one else loves, because God is Love. He is the Bridegroom, and only when we recognize ourselves as the ugly ducklings that we really are, can we be united with Him.

But what is so amazing is that even though we may look like Leah to each other, in Jesus’ eyes we look like Rachel! The Bible says He chose us “to be holy and blameless in His sight!” That is the Gospel truth. God chooses the weak to shame the strong. He chooses the foolish to confound the wise. He chooses the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are so that we might realize the awesome glory and majesty of His grace!

Are you someone who feels ugly and unattractive? Are you someone who feels your life is worthless? Are you someone who feels unloved? If so, may I invite you to rise above your feelings of despondency and discouragement and lift your heart in praise to Jesus, because He is inviting you today to be His bride.

It does not matter whether you are a man or woman, it does not matter whether you are rich or poor, it does not matter whether you have been a member of the church for years or someone who needs to surrender your life to Jesus for the very first time. When Jesus describes the Laodicean church in the last days of this earth, He describes it as saying, “I am rich and have need of nothing.” (Rev. 3:17) But He says of us, “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

Only when you realize who you really are without Jesus, can you understand that you are a Leah, too. And only when you understand that, can you finally begin to realize just how much God loves you.