MUSINGS FROM MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS (Vol 7)

MUSINGS FROM MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS (Vol 7)

“I trust no man who does not limp”

PETER RUDEGEAIR

“That's my son, that is. I'll tell ya: ever since he was an itty bitty boy, sometimes he talks to the lord and sometimes he yells at the lord. Tonight, he just happens to be yellin' at him.” (From the Movie The Apostle)

If Abraham sacrificing Isaac is the worst story in the Bible (Gen. 22), then Jacob wrestling God or whomever is the weirdest (Gen. 32:22-32). First of all, I am pretty sure it would not take God all night to beat a 90-year-old guy in a fight. And even if it were only an angel (the narrative is vague to say the least) that Jacob wrestles, then that was one sorry heavenly host. Angels in the Bible are not chubby little Hallmark cherubs; they are mythical, terrifying beasts.

This story is so absurd and yet so true. Life is a struggle. Genuine faith is often a sparring match between our will and God’s; between hope and cynicism, between belief and unbelief; between prayer and lethargy. And often, like Jacob, it is only in our limping, that we discover our identity in God.

So, take your best shot at the Divine. Do not be afraid to yell or argue with your Creator. Care enough about yourself and your faith to fight to become who God created and redeemed you to be. And on those lonely nights when you wrestle with pain, fear, sorrow, or doubt, know that the God who loves you more than life itself, holds you.

But sometimes it may be a half-nelson.