Rachel: When "Enough" Still Isn't
From the series: What We Want You to Know
Rachel: When “Enough” Still Isn’t
From the series: What We Want You to Know
We meet Rachel at a well — where so many biblical love stories begin.
Jacob has just fled from his brother Esau. He’s broke, scared, and chasing the memory of his mother’s (Rebekah’s) love story. His grandfather’s servant had come with camels and gold. Jacob? He’s got nothing. Just hope.
And then he sees her — Rachel, the shepherd girl.
“Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.”
— Genesis 29:9 NLT
She’s working. Not standing around. Not waiting to be chosen. She’s capable, strong, and intelligent. Shepherding wasn’t romantic. It was real work. And Rachel did it.
A Love That Costs
Jacob falls for her fast. But he doesn’t ask for her hand right away — he knows he has nothing to offer. So he works. Seven years.
“So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.”
— Genesis 29:20 NLT
Cue the Hallmark soundtrack… until it all goes wrong.
Laban, Rachel’s father, pulls a bait-and-switch on the wedding night. Instead of Rachel, Jacob wakes up next to her older sister, Leah.
Suddenly the deceiver becomes the deceived.
The Comparison Trap
Jacob marries Rachel too — after agreeing to another seven years of labor. So now there are two wives. And comparison begins to poison the relationship.
Rachel is beautiful. Loved. But barren.
Leah is fruitful. But unwanted.
Each woman looks at the other and sees what she lacks.
Isn’t that us, too?
That woman you envy — the one with the perfect life?
She’s likely aching for something you take for granted.
And that one thing you think will finally make you happy?
It might not satisfy like you expect.
Never Enough
Eventually, God gives Rachel a son — Joseph.
“She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. ‘God has removed my disgrace,’ she said.”
— Genesis 30:23 NLT
Finally. A win. A breakthrough.
But immediately, she asks for more:
“May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”
— Genesis 30:24 NLT
Have you ever been there?
You prayed. You waited. You finally received.
And then you asked again. Because it still didn’t feel like enough.
Backup Idols
As Jacob prepares to leave Laban’s household, Rachel does something unexpected — she steals her father’s household idols.
Why?
We don’t know for sure. But it feels familiar.
Sometimes we follow God, but still pack our backup plans — just in case.
Money. Reputation. Security. Relationships. Control.
We say we trust God, but deep down we wonder if we’ll need something else to fall back on.
Rachel hides the idols, lies about it, and keeps moving. God doesn’t strike her down. He keeps writing her into His story. But the warning is there: even the faithful have to confront what they’re still holding onto.
Her Final Words
Rachel dies giving birth to her second son, Benjamin.
She’s buried not in the family tomb, but on the road. Her resting place becomes a landmark of sorrow and hope for generations.
“Rachel weeps for her children…”
— Jeremiah 31:15
— Matthew 2:18
She is remembered — not just for her beauty or her marriage — but for her grief and her voice. Even in death, she speaks comfort to generations in exile.
💬 Reflect
Do you ever feel like what you have still isn’t enough?
Have you packed any “just in case” idols?
What would it look like to celebrate what you’ve been given — instead of comparing it?
What does Rachel’s story tell you about how God sees women who struggle, ache, and long?
The way you share the story, and tie it in with reflection in today's time, through the females in the Bible answers many of my prayers.
The reflection questions are definetly another layer of letting go that needs to be confessed and applied. Thank you.
God is good all the time.