Jacob agrees to work for his uncle Laban to marry his youngest daughter, Rachel. After the seven years are up, Laban tricks Jacob by having  him marry Rachel’s older sister, Leah – perhaps to ensure that she is honoured according to local customs. Jacob agrees to a further seven years of work to ensure that he can marry Rachel too.

Today’s passages help us remember that God understands life is and will be messy. We might not be able to escape the mess, but we can learn to navigate it with God. It might not always be obvious, but God is working in the midst of the mess to bring good out of tricky situations.