So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
Genesis 29:20 (ESV)
Jacob’s marriage to Rachel is one of the most important in the entire Bible. Through her came Joseph, the man God used to provide Jacob’s family refuge in Egypt. Jacob had gone to his father’s homeland to find a wife, and Rachel caught his eye.
It’s hard to know why Jacob loved her. We are told she was “beautiful in form and appearance” (29:17). One can only hope that Jacob cared about more than her looks! The text doesn’t say. What we do know is that Jacob wanted Rachel to be his wife, and he longed for her so deeply he was willing to serve her father for seven years for the right of her hand in marriage.
But here’s what’s so amazing: Those seven years of service “seemed to him but a few days.” His work was easy because he was in love. His work was light because he had something wonderful to look forward to.
This principle holds true for all of us, doesn’t it? It’s not as hard to get out of bed for the last day of work before a vacation. We have an amazing capacity to endure drudgery when we know there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Each of our lives is full of hard labor. There are difficulties around every bend. Everyday we are reminded of life’s troubles. How can we persevere in the midst of these trials? How can we happily go to work even when our boss is unhelpful at best and demeaning at worst? How can we roll up our sleeves and change diaper after diaper? How can we pursue holiness when the road is paved with landmines of temptation?
Jacob’s days flew by because he looked forward to being married to Rachel. Our days can seem light and easy because of the promise of everlasting life. Consider Jesus. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross, “for the joy that was set before him” (Heb 12:2). What was that joy? Being back in the presence of his Father, “seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This world is not our home. Instead, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil 3:20-21).
Your days on this earth will be hard, very hard. They will be full of backbreaking discouragement and frustrating disappointment. And yet your days can seem easy because of the joy set before you. Because Christ died for sinners, if your faith is in him, you have a new home to look forward to, a new body to anticipate, and the full presence of God to long for. With all this around the corner, don’t give up fighting sin. Don’t stop pursuing godliness. Don’t let the weight of the world discourage you. After all, by God’s grace we can persevere with confidence that “this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:17).