Genesis 30: 1: Jealousy.

“30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” NIV UK

Here a sad scene is painted, but it is typical of the human condition. Both Rachel and Leah have something the other wants. Rachel has Jacob’s heart; Leah wants that. Leah has children; Rachel wants that. Discontent can lead to jealousy, and jealousy can make a person unreasonable. Both Leah’s desire to be truly loved by her husband, and Rachel’s longing for children were legitimate. But we regularly have to look at all we do have and be thankful for it, recognising that in life we can’t always have what we want. A contented heart is one that will be protected from unnecessary pain.

By the way, just because you don’t have that thing now, it doesn’t mean you never will. ‘Rachel’s anguish of heart led her to earnest prayer. Compare vv.1,22. Wait on God anguished ones; you will surely have reason to praise him. Was it not worth waiting for, to bear a Joseph, whose branches were to run over the wall in blessing? There are more compensations in life than we think. If Rachel had her husband’s love, Leah had a large family of boys. In the saddest lives there are glints of sunshine.’ F.B.Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.26.