Gen. 29:31-32   When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”

Often we think that the world is led by “protagonists,” or people who have all the conditions for success: strength, intelligence, persistence, wealth and health, good parents, the right cultures that allow that person to thrive, and every other right condition lined up throughout one’s lifetime, waiting to be triggered at the right moment(s). But we know that there is a God that controls all of history down to the very matter that constitutes it, and therefore also the people and complex interactions between them.

And just as God chose Jacob over Esau, who was the favored eldest son of Isaac, God also “chose” Leah in some way, although she was not favored by Jacob, and was like a side-character (and kind of a victim) in Jacob’s story. But she still trusted in God, calling Him “the LORD.” Likewise, when we think about how Israel was God’s chosen nation, we should not forget that God chose an underdog slave-nation over a powerful Egypt.

Therefore, do not worry if you are in any sense or narrative an underdog in your story or anyone else’s. Ironically, many of the poor (whether in money or anything else) end up being chosen by and choosing God, and therefore choose the Father of all inheritances.

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