Wholehearted

Do you wrestle with God?

In today’s reading from Genesis we hear the unusual story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. We already know that angels in the Hebrew Testament can refer to God, and Jacob himself after the ordeal exclaims “I have seen God face to face.” 

Depending on your upbringing, the idea of fighting God might be quite confronting. We may think that to wrestle with God shows that we are stubborn or are not yielded to the Holy Spirit. Certainly in my own spiritual life I can at times shortcut my wrestling experience short by submitting too early!

But sometimes the real growth is in the struggle. It is in the pushing out of our own deeply and unconsciously held beliefs about God that we see Him face to face. Like the butterfly emerging from its cocoon, the pushing and struggling is what makes our wings strong.

So when was the last time you had a wholehearted, honest conversation with God about something that you are struggling with? Maybe today is a good day.