Limping toward Glory

Jacob called the place Peniel, saying
“For I have seen God face to face
and yet my life is preserved.”
The sun rose on him ... limping”
Genesis 32:30-31


Jacob may have had his faults, don’t we all? I know I do. But he did know what to do when put to the test. He held on.
Granted, that’s a risky virtue. I remember one fellow admitting shame-facedly that he was a coward. He hated fighting because he didn’t like getting hurt. His friend replied ruefully, “I don’t know if that makes you a coward but I can think of a few fights I wish I’d walked away from.”

Jacob didn’t walk away from his wrestling match with that angel, or some kind of heavenly being. “Let me go,” the stranger pleaded. “Not until you bless me” Jacob replied. The wrestling bout left Jacob lame, so that he limped the rest of his life, but he got his blessing - a new name: Israel, a name that would live on to the present day.

There are some wrestling matches that are life-transforming. The battle the recovering alcoholic has with his addiction is a clear example. Life without booze may seem insignificant to those who have not succumbed to the tyranny of alcohol. However, for one who has gone down that road, sobriety is hard-won, and the scars last a life-time. Sober life is a new-found blessing, but it’s also a pronounced limp, especially in a society and a culture that places such a high priority on drinking.

I suspect we all have our demons (or angels!) to wrestle. The teenager up against peer pressure. The GLBT person seeking acceptance and the deepest level of all, self-acceptance. The victim of physical or sexual abuse. And the perpetrators, caught in a compulsive behavior they believe they are helpless to control.

“Let me go!” the stranger demands, “it’s almost daylight.” Yes. The light is coming. I will be exposed. But Jacob held on. Damn the exposure, and damn the shame. I must have my blessing.

We can claim a blessing too. Not necessarily one we wanted. It may not look so attractive at first sight. And no one can predict the ultimate outcome.

This much we do know: we may limp, but we will be limping in the sunlight. There is blessing if we can just hold on.