Brock Purdy knows what it feels like to be overlooked. Selected with the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft—number 262—he earned the title "Mr. Irrelevant," the traditional nickname given to the final draft pick. Most scouts dismissed him as too small, with an average arm at best. Yet when unexpected injuries thrust him into the starting role, he led the 49ers to victory after victory, eventually becoming the lowest-drafted quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl.
Kurt Warner's story of being overlooked runs even deeper. After going undrafted in 1994, he found himself stocking shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Iowa for $5.50 an hour. While others saw a failed football player, Warner saw someone worth believing in. He continued training at his old college facility before his night shifts, never giving up on his dream. His persistence led him from grocery store clerk to Arena Football, then to NFL Europe, and finally to the St. Louis Rams. When opportunity knocked, Warner answered by leading one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history, earning NFL MVP honors and a Super Bowl victory.
These stories capture our imagination because they remind us that being overlooked doesn't determine our destiny. But they also point us to a deeper truth found in the pages of Scripture—specifically, in the story of Leah.
In Genesis 29, we meet Leah, a woman who knew what it meant to feel invisible. Her own father used her as a pawn in a deceptive marriage scheme. Her husband Jacob was forced to marry her and didn't love her. Her sister Rachel, Jacob's true love, became her rival. As far as we know, there was no one there for Leah.
No one, that is, except God.
While others focused on Leah's appearance, God saw her heart. While others overlooked her, God demonstrated His special care by blessing her with children, even as her "favored" sister Rachel remained childless. God's love for Leah wasn't based on her looks, her status, or her circumstances—it was based on the simple fact that she was His creation, made in His image.
This divine love for the unloved ultimately finds its fullest expression in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). He loved us when we didn't love Him, dying for our sins while we were still sinners.
Which brings us to a crucial point: there should be no Leahs among us.
As followers of Christ, we're called to love as He loved us. "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). This means we must become people who see the unseen, who value the overlooked, who embrace those who feel invisible.
In practical terms, this might mean:
- Noticing the person who always sits alone at church
- Reaching out to the newcomer who hasn't quite found their place
- Paying attention to those whose voices often go unheard
- Creating spaces where everyone feels valued, regardless of their status or circumstances
- Looking beyond surface-level differences to see the image of God in each person
The story of Leah challenges us to examine our own communities. Who are the "Leahs" among us—those who might feel overlooked, undervalued, or invisible? How can we demonstrate God's special care for them in tangible ways?
When we embrace this kind of sacrificial love, we don't just help others—we reflect God's character and fulfill His purpose for our lives. We become part of His redemptive work, ensuring that no one feels as overlooked as Leah did.
The transformations of Purdy and Warner remind us that being overlooked by the world doesn't mean we're overlooked by God. But more importantly, their stories—and Leah's—challenge us to become agents of God's love in a world full of people who feel unseen. They call us to allow our own experiences of feeling overlooked to soften our hearts toward others, extending God's transformative love to everyone we encounter, regardless of their status in the world's eyes.
Because in God's kingdom, no one should be invisible. No one should feel unloved. There should be no Leahs among us.