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We gather here today with open hearts and mind to grow infection.

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Faith and truth, in every word we find the pages of the word, alive and full of grace, inspiring faith with him as we seek his face.

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Bible bites, Bible bites, Instarting Faith one bite at a time with every verse

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We find our way to live our lives in his light and shine.

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Welcome to Bible Bites, the podcast where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time.

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I'm your host, Randy Black.

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In Genesis chapter 30, verses 14 through 21,

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We find a deeply human story wrapped in the larger narrative of God's unfolding plan for his people.

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Leah.

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The unloved wife of Jacob continues to seek validation and affection through childbearing, and despite the flaws, rivalry, and schemes in her character and relationships, God continues to bless her

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This passage reminds us that God's purposes are not thwarted by human weakness.

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Instead, he often works through the brokenness of people to accomplish his will.

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For today's believers, Leah's story is a testament to God's grace that even in our less noble moments, God's mercy may still overflow into blessing.

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Let's open up with a word of prayer.

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Heavenly Father, we come before you today with open hearts and humble spirits.

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As we look into the life of Leah and reflect on your faithfulness to her, despite her struggles and imperfections, help us to see ourselves in her story.

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Show us how you work through our weaknesses, flaws, and pain to bring about your divine purpose.

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May this episode of our podcast encourage us to trust more in your grace and less in our own strength.

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Let your word be our guide and our comfort today and every day forward.

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In the name of your son Jesus, we pray.

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Amen.

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The passage begins with a moment of seeming innocence.

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Now, in the days of weed harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah.

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Mandrakes were believed in ancient culture to aid in fertility, and their discovery sparks a new conflict in the already strained relationship between Leah and her sister Rachel.

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Rachel, who at this point is still barren, pleads, Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.

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Leah's emotional response reveals the longstanding hurt she carries

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Is it too little a thing for you to take my husband?

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Would you take my son's mandrakes also?

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Her words exposed the deep pain of being the unwanted wife, the woman who has children.

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but not love.

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In an act that borders on desperation, Rachel offers a trade.

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Therefore he may sleep with you to night in return for your son's mandrics

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Rachel, longing for children of her own, is willing to give Leah a night with Jacob for the supposed fertility enhancing plants.

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That night, Leah takes the initiative, meeting Jacob as he returns from the field.

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You must sleep with me, for I have certainly hired you with my son's mandrakes.

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Her statement echoes the transactional nature of their relationship and reveals her ongoing struggle for love and affirmation

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Yet, despite this flawed situation, the next verse reveals a powerful truth.

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God listened to Leah, and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob

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This is a pivotal moment.

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Leah's motives may not have been pure.

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Her actions may have stemmed from rivalry and insecurity.

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But God still listened to her

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She names the child Ishar, saying, God has given me my reward because I gave my servant to my husband.

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While Leah believes her reward is connected to her past actions, the blessing is actually rooted in God's mercy, not merit.

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The blessings continue.

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And Leah conceived again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.

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This time Leah reflects, God has endowed me with a good gift.

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Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons.

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Her longing for Jacob's affection is still at the forefront of her mind, but her acknowledgement of God's hand and her blessing is also clear.

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She names this sun Zebulon, meaning dwelling, reflecting her hope that Jacob would finally choose to dwell with her in love.

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Finally, verse 21 states simply.

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Afterwards she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

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Though less is said about Diner here, her inclusion reminds us that Leah continued to be fruitful.

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Her story, full of struggle and imperfection, becomes a testimony to God's ability to work through broken relationships.

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And messy lives.

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We have some key takeaways from our scripture today.

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The first is that God's grace is not limited by human imperfection

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Leah's story proves that God doesn't wait for people to be flawless before he blesses them.

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Her decisions, driven by jealousy, insecurity, and a longing for validation, were far from noble

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Yet, in verse 17, God listened to Leah.

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This shows us that his grace isn't based on moral perfection, but on his own faithfulness and love.

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God's actions in our lives are not earned by performance, but are gifted by grace.

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This is a truth that should both comfort and humble us.

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It means we don't have to fix ourselves before coming to God.

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we come broken, and he meets us there.

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For modern believers, this takeaway urges us to rest in God's mercy rather than striving for human perfection as a prerequisite for his blessing.

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Our next takeaway is that God listens to the cry of the overlooked.

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Leah was not Jacob's first choice.

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She was often treated as secondary, less beautiful, less loved.

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But Genesis chapter 30, verse 17 tells us clearly: God listened to Leah.

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In a world that favors the loud, the strong, and the noticeable, it's easy to feel invisible.

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Yet Leah's story reassures us that God has a tender heart for the overlooked

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He hears the private prayers of the lonely mother, the exhausted worker, and the forgotten friend.

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You don't need to be on a platform or praised by others for God to take notice of your need.

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This takeaway should give great hope to anyone who feels unseen or unappreciated.

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God's attention is not earned by status.

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It's given in love

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Our next takeaway is that earthly validation is fleeting, but God's favor is eternal

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Leah's repeated desire for her husband's love never seemed to be fulfilled.

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Each child she bears is given a name that reflects her hope that Jacob will finally cherish her

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Now my husband will love me, we saw in Genesis chapter twenty-nine, verse thirty-two.

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Maybe this time my husband will become attached to me.

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Genesis thirty, verse twenty.

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These longings expose a common struggle.

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We often look for human approval to affirm our worth

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But the tragedy is that such validation is rarely enough, or is is not really lasting.

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God's favor, however, is enduring and unchanging

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When we ground our identity in him, we are no longer held captive by people's opinions or affections.

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Leah eventually shifted her focus.

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naming her last recorded son Judah, meaning praise.

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From that son would come the Messiah.

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Her greatest blessing came not in human approval, but in God's eternal purpose.

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Our next takeaway is that our worth is not defined by comparison.

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Leah's rivalry with Rachel paints a sad portrait of how comparison breeds bitterness.

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Rachel had beauty and Jacob's love.

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Leah had children but longed for acceptance.

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Each wanted what the other had.

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This comparison poisoned their relationship and clouded their gratitude

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Today, comparison still robs us of joy.

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It turns blessings into burdens.

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We compare jobs, families, talents, and appearances, forgetting that each life unfolds under God's unique plan

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Leah was uniquely chosen by God to bear six of the twelve tribes of Israel, including Levi, the priestly line, and Judah, the Messianic line

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Her value wasn't in being like Rachel.

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It was in being faithful to her own role in God's plan.

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When we stop comparing and start trusting,

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We find contentment in what God made us to be.

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Our last takeaway is that God fulfills his purposes through ordinary flawed people.

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Leah wasn't perfect.

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She was far from it.

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But her story is another entry in the long list of imperfect people God used to shape history

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She gave birth to Levi, whose descendants would serve as priests, and Judah, from whom came David, and ultimately Jesus.

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Her legacy is eternal not because of her personal greatness, but because of God's sovereign design

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This takeaway should challenge the modern Christian to stop waiting until they feel ready or qualified before stepping into obedience.

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You don't need to be extraordinary to be part of something extraordinary

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God specializes in using the weak, the rejected, and the ordinary for his divine glory.

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Your flaws do not cancel your calling

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Leah's story in Genesis chapter 30, verses 14 through 21 reminds us that God's blessings are not reserved for the flawless or the favored.

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Leah was a woman caught in a web of competition, insecurity, and emotional pain.

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Yet, God saw her

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Remembered her, and blessed her with more children, each one a visible reminder of his mercy and grace.

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As we reflect on this passage of scripture, we're invited to see ourselves in Leah, flawed, sometimes driven by wrong motives, but still loved and chosen by God.

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One of the profound truths in this account is that God works even through broken systems and imperfect people.

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Leah was part of a complex family dynamic filled with favoritism, jealousy, and manipulation

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And yet, God's sovereign plan moved forward, not because of human perfection, but in spite of human weakness

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This truth is incredibly encouraging for believers who struggle with their own inadequacies or who feel overlooked in life or ministry.

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God's purposes are not thwarted by our shortcomings.

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Another key takeaway is that God often uses seasons of pain and disappointment to draw us closer to Him

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Leah initially sought affirmation from Jacob, naming her sons in a way that revealed her longing to be loved

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But by the time she named her fourth son Judah, she said, This time I will praise the Lord.

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Her spiritual growth becomes evident

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And by the time we reach Genesis chapter 30, verses 17 through 21, we see a woman who is still experiencing God's provision.

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Even if her heart still wrestled with insecurity, God's faithfulness did not waver.

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As believers today, we can find hope in knowing that God sees our circumstances.

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He's not indifferent to our emotional battles, our unmet desires, or our past mistakes.

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He offers us grace not just to forgive us, but to empower us.

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Like Leo, we may carry burdens that others don't see, but God remains attentive, compassionate, and active in our lives

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Lastly, this passage of Scripture calls us to walk in humility and in gratitude.

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We must recognize that every good thing we receive comes not from our merit, but from God's mercy.

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As we reflect on Leah's journey, may we be encouraged to surrender our brokenness to the Lord, knowing that He delights in bringing beauty from ashes and strength from weakness.

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Before we preview our next episode, let's close out with a word of prayer.

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Lord God

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Thank you for the lessons you teach us through the life of Leah.

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In her weakness, you showed strength.

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In her brokenness, you revealed grace

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Help us to trust that you can use us even when we feel flawed or we feel forgotten or we are frustrated.

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May we rest in your unchanging faithfulness, knowing that you see us and that you love us.

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Shape our hearts to walk in humility, in faith, and in gratitude for all that you provide.

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In the name of your son Jesus, we pray.

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Amen.

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On the next episode of Bible Bites, we're going to take one more episode and look at Leah.

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This time we're going to look at.

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the legacy of Leah and how the lineage coming out of Judah led to Jesus Christ entering this world

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We'll start in Genesis chapter 49, verses 8 through 12, but we'll also be jumping over to Matthew 1 verses 1 through 2.

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So please join us on the next episode of Bible Bites, the podcast where we work to inspire faith, one bite at a time

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Bible bites, Bible bites, Inspiring Fate one bite at a time with every verse

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We find our way to live our lives in his life and shine.

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Bubble bites, bubble bites, inspiring things one bite at a time.