17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.” Genesis 30:17-23

To finish off this passage, Leah and Rachel seem to be competing with each other in the child birth department. Leah desperately wanted her husband to respect her. How sad really. Why didn’t she feel respected? She didn’t start on a firm foundation with her husband openly stating that he wanted to marry her sister, while her father connived her husband into marrying her first instead of Rachel. The men in her life let her down. It’s no wonder she was trying to talk herself into believing God would reward her for giving over her servant to her husband.

We all have a Leah or two in our circle of friends and family. Sad, dejected, maybe even abused. Looking for love and respect but doing things that have the exact opposite effect.

And there’s even a small segment of our society who are forced and coerced into doing things they would never ever do if they had men in their lives who loved and cared for them.

I realize this is a devotional, but it’s also an area that Christians have either ignored or just don’t know about. We have the answers to help these people but we also have to find them and rescue them.

As I’ve stated countless times, we can’t do everything but we can do something, even if you think it’s minor.

What is that something to you?