Wrestling

Lately, I have been obsessed with all things Old Testament. Weird, right? It's like all of a sudden I can't get enough of the Israelites, or I just can't hear enough about the lineage that Jesus chose to descend from on earth. The most current story i have stopped to meditate on is Jacob and Esau. The story is not new to me. I can remember sitting in Sunday School when I was a child and thinking how weird it must have been for Jacob to put on fake fur to trick his father into giving him the birthright that was meant for Esau.

The lesson I really stopped to ponder on comes from a little later in the story though. Jacob goes on to "physically" wrestle with God. What? Is Jacob crazy? I do not think I would have the audacity to wrestle with God. Yet, I do it all the time. I am a  million times guilty of going to the Lord in an almost battle-like stance to fight for the blessings I think would most help me. I don't think I am alone in this action either. We know from the story that Jacob was persistent. God encourages persistence in all areas of our lives, including the spiritual.

Healing from chronic pain has taught me that strong character develops as you struggle through tough conditions. The Lord answered Jacob. After the battle, the Lord blessed Jacob  by renaming him Israel meaning "he struggles with God".  Most importantly, Jacob went on to father the 12 tribes of Israel. If you are wrestling with the Lord today about something, please know that you are not alone.  God sees your persistence.  

Waiting

Lately, I have been taking time out of my day to meditate. I feel that the more mental fortitude I can build, the stronger I will be to fight chronic pain. My absolute favorite place to meditate is outside in my backyard. I am surrounded by nature and feel the environment is conducive to relaxation. One of the first things that I had to learn was that our backyard is in the Embry-Riddle flightpath. Small planes pass by as flight instructors teach the next generation of pilots. So, it is safe to say, I have observed the path that they take each day. The planes just really complete a small loop around the Daytona Beach airport. I have observed that they sometimes send the same plane around a few times. I can only guess that the instructor believes the young pilot needs more practice or that there are some kind of unfavorable landing conditions on the ground that require the pilot to circle just one more time.

As I thought about this process, I began to visualize my own life like those circling airplanes. I am in a holding pattern. And, I don't think I'm the only one. How many of us are stuck in some kind of waiting room in life? My waiting room seems to be physical healing, but yours might be waiting to repair that broken relationship or waiting for your kids to grow out of that terrible two's phase so you can recover your life back. Whatever your waiting room is, I think it is important to acknowledge that there might be a purpose within circling around just one more time. Maybe the Lord needs to teach us just one more thing before we land, or maybe He is waiting for someone to come into your life that you can help.

For today, I am content to circle listening to what the Lord may be  trying to teach me before I land. I hope that someone else circling would feel comforted by these words today.