A Wrestler of God

Growing up as a PK (Preacher's Kid) I was pretty much immersed in "Christianity," specifically, "United Methodist Christianity," and when one is immersed in something it shapes and molds them.  That's all well and good, but there are aspects of immersion which, at some point in life of the immerse, must be questioned.  My questions came when I headed to college.

It was there that the wrestling began.  Faced with people from other faiths, other family backgrounds, races, cultures, and every other diversity, I found myself wondering, "so how did I end up being who I am?"  It wasn't long before that question began to permeate my thoughts on faith, and once the questioning began, it became a way of life.  I thank God that that has been the case.

Thus began a life journey...a way of being, through which God has shaped and molded me, and quite frankly, is a way by which we are all invited to live into.  It is through wrestling and questioning that we discover the great truths of life, for the wrestles stretch and challenge us and allow us the opportunity to be transformed.


There's a guy in the Bible named Jacob, otherwise known as the "supplanter," who was manipulative, self-serving, and self-interested.  I won't go into the early years, but there is this point in the story where he has to face his brother, Esau...a brother who had every right to want Jacob dead.  The night before they were to meet, Jacob fears that it would be his last.

Jacob takes a snooze but is awakened by a messenger of God. The wrestle goes on all night, and despite an angelic opponent, this man of God is strong enough to finish with a draw. He wrestles out a blessing. He does not, however, emerge unscathed. Instead he limps away, always aware of the wrestle, but thankful that the One with whom he wrestles is with him always.

Faith is a wrestle, and when we wrestle through, hold on, and refuse to let go of God, then God blesses us. We won't remain the same, and in fact we might even find ourselves limping. But the Truth is, that through the wrestle, in faith, God is revealed.

My hope and prayer is that somehow in sharing the questions and wrestles, God might be revealed, even through something as simple as a blog.