Jacob’s Hold

Posted: January 19th, 2012   Category: Christianity, Common Sense

How many times have we wrestled with life? Perhaps it would be easier to try and count the days of our lives spent in peaceful repose? The trials and tests of life are endless, some are minor while others are huge. We can hide, run away or even ignore life’s more difficult engagements but if we are honest, we simply can not deny they exist. I needn’t list these trials, since for each of us, the menu has been presented a la carte.  We pick most of our battles, but others choose us. We willingly enter those battles which we believe we can win, while those which choose us offer no guarantees. To complicate life further, we wrestle with ourselves. We battle with guilt, beat ourselves up over choices, condemn our failures and refuse to forgive our own worst omissions. We remain our own worst enemies because … there is something else in us which knows us better than we know ourselves. “Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28 NIV)

Jacob was descended from Abraham and Isaac, a birthright part of Abraham’s covenant with God. God was no stranger to Jacob. Yet Jacob struggled with life, consequences and guilt over his choices and actions. Metaphorically however, Jacob’s greatest battle was with God. In the preceding verses of this story, Jacob wrestled with a man, thought to represent God. When we wrestle with ourselves we are wrestling with God. When we are with God our struggles are light, but when we are not, the battles continue and the darkness lingers. God is our light, so when we hide, run away from or ignore God we are left with only darkness. We are constantly training for the one life battle which we are guaranteed to lose, if we go it alone. When we grab hold of God and refuse to let go, we will overcome life’s trials and we will prevail in the battle to sustain life. Our Lord is a powerful ally in this life and our only ally after it. Seeking God is the start of our journey and finding God is both the end and new beginning. Once we find God we can’t let go, we must hold on fiercely through every trial because our commitment will indeed be tested. These are not tests to be apprehensive about, just to be aware of. The rule is simple, hold on at all costs to win, let go for any reason and we lose. Life is going to be filled with battles, which ultimately combine to illustrate a war we can choose to win, with help.

JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE

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