"Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments." - Samuel Johnson

  Jacob the deceiver had now become Jacob the outcast, forced to flee to the house of Laban. Upon arriving there, he crossed paths with perhaps the one thing he was not expecting at that time. To make an unrelated point here, that is often the precise time our dreams choose to come true! The narrative in Genesis 29 makes it very clear that the approach of Rachel moved him in more ways than one. Verse 10 explains: "When Jacob saw Rachel, daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep." We see here that Jacob wasn't thinking, "Hmmmmmmm boy I'd like to get me some o' dat!" His immediate and powerful response was to serve, to provide a helping hand for her and that which was within her care. Nothing was more important to him at that moment than fulfilling that special, unique instinct that had awakened -- perhaps for the first time -- within his heart.
  Whether it be a special someone or a more material goal that comes to a man's attention, if this encounter does not inspire a true man to see what he can give to it as well as receive from it, it serves no one's interests to continue toward it! Nothing in our lives deserves half a commitment or half an effort. The things a man most believes in are those in which he is willing to back up that belief by way of a significant investment of himself. Anything less is selfish, hollow, and unworthy.
  Meanwhile, back in Genesis...Jacob wastes little time in declaring his love for Rachel and forwarding a shocking proposition: "Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel."(Gen. 20:18). What if you knew it would take an extended amount of time for success to arrive? For the love of your life to appear? Could you stay the course? Jacob, as we will see, was equal to the challenge: "So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her."(Gen. 20:20). This was true for him because the joy of the goal superceded the scope of the task necessary to get there. When a true man finds his purpose and fully embraces it, the joy he derives from that will keep him steeped in contentment...regardless of the timetable by which his reward comes.
  The day finally came for the toiling troubadour to claim his bride. Jacob approaches Laban and basically says, "I've done what I said and kept my promise. Now keep yours and hand her over!" Many men, knowing a payoff is due and success is around the corner, will still refrain from affirming they have earned their keep. They don't want to approach the issue because they're afraid of being perceived as pushy or impatient. This is due in part to the hyper-emphasis of sensitivity that the culture of the last 20 years has drilled into society.
  While this need not be completely discarded, it is important to balance that by stepping up to receive our rewards or our lumps with equally unshakeable confidence. Romans 4:4 says, "Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation." Laban fulfilled his obligation; but in a way that would make the chickens truly come home to roost for our friend the deceiver.

To be continued...