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In this episode...

Jacob, Leah, and Rachel: Laboring for Worth

https://faithfulontheclock.captivate.fm/episode/jacob-leah-and-rachel-laboring-for-worth

Do you attach what you produce to your worth? Episode 136 of Faithful on the Clock uses the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel to expose if you might be.

Timestamps:

[00:04] - Intro

[00:48] - Summary of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel’s story

[01:31] - The fact Jacob, Leah, and Rachel didn’t want or plan the kind of life they lived; how we also can be thrown into undesirable circumstances we have to deal with

[02:04] - The sexual dynamics and competition between Leah and Rachel in the context of how important motherhood was

[03:56] - How Leah and Rachel attached worth to output, and how we still do — particularly in Western cultures; the importance of attaching worth to our identity in Christ rather than to what we produce or do

[07:24] - Leah and Rachel’s scarcity mindset; how scarcity mindset influences teams today to be more competitive and self-protective and the role of leaders in conveying that dignity is a given

[08:53] - How culture delivers a sense of where worth comes from

[12:25] - God’s use of the overlooked and his elevation of Leah; identifying what we’re still trying to earn

[14:14] - What we name our work exposes hidden wounds or desires; the importance of naming from faith rather than pain

[16:56] - Prayer

[17:40] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

• Jacob, Leah, and Rachel didn’t have a relationship they wanted or planned on. Like them, many of us are thrown into work or personal circumstances we didn’t expect and don’t enjoy.
• Jacob was physically intimate with both wives for complex legal and cultural reasons. But when God saw Leah wasn’t loved, he opened her womb. But both sisters were desperate to prove their worth through childbearing — that is, by producing what the culture considered to be of value.
• Many women in the world still use childbearing to gain a sense of internal and community worth. But in the corporate space, many woman also have simply transferred their sense of worth to different modes of production. Instead of building your values based on what you can do, build them based on who you are, because what you can do is not static.
• Workers can have a scarcity mindset around pay, opportunity, etc., just as Leah and Rachel had a scarcity mindset around love. And just as it did for them, a scarcity mindset can lead to conflict. Leaders can step in to stop this undercurrent of fear and communicate that dignity is a given.
• Cultural norms are not neutral. They can shape our concept that production and worth are connected and dictate what to produce to matter. It’s better to chase what God values instead of what the culture preaches. What the world needs most is often what the world values the least.
• God doesn’t just choose the top performers. He picks the outcasts and those who are second-class. Asking what we’re still trying to earn can reveal where God needs to work in our lives.
• The way we name things often exposes hidden wounds or desires. Leah named her first sons based on hurt, but she eventually pivoted to naming things based on faith. We can pivot this way, too.

CTAs:

• Have a conversation with a trusted friend, mentor, or family about how you would feel if you couldn’t produce anymore. Would you still feel confident in your worth? Why or why not?
• Conduct a survey in your workplace through the appropriate channels to assess whether people feel like dignity is a given regardless of their production.
• If you have to name something — e.g., a new project — give it a name that honors God and shows a positive perspective, rather than a name that simply characterizes the project

What’s coming up next:

Episode 137 of Faithful on the Clock welcomes guest Matthew Terry for a discussion about courageously stepping into a new calling.

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