How to Wrestle With Life and Come Out On Top

“And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28 HCSB)

Allow me to recall the public arena where my daughter and I experienced our first grocery store throwdown. I was seven months pregnant with treasure number two. My number one treasure, Braelynn, was seventeen months old and rode shotgun in the cart as we attempted to leave the store.

As you know, a small minefield of cheap thrills awaits the exiting shopper. Braelynn quickly became upset. She thought I didn’t notice the awesome candy in one of those gumball-type machines. You know, the kind that also dispenses tattoos with wicked faces on them or “gold” rings that break on the way down?

I calmly told her no, we weren’t stopping for a treat. Her pleadings escalated into a shrill cry. Again, I calmly told her no. She looked at me, unphased and unsatisfied. She then attempted to eject herself from the cart. I helped her sit back down. My stress level started to climb. She shook her head and yelled “No!” I pinched her on the backside of her arm. That was it. I had released the floodgates of toddler wrath. In some psychedelic maneuver I still cannot fully comprehend, she squeezed out of the safety belt, climbed onto me, and took me down to the stone cold tile.

We were still in front of the exit doors. Thank goodness we must’ve fallen short of the sensor’s threshold. Engaging the automatic door to open and close repeatedly would’ve made my helpless scene go viral. (If viral had been a thing at the time, that is. And that’s just not how I would’ve wanted my life hash-tagged at the moment.)

There I was at ground level, pregnant and probably looking pitiful. In my mind, I cried out to Jesus and James Dobson, but no one answered. People just stared. Braelynn was flailing around as if she was on a carnival ride. As I began thinking her mini floor fandango was about to subside, she bit my elbow!

“Ouch!” I looked at her with a fiery and fresh determination. I promised my ungainly body a better day tomorrow as I rocked myself upward and sideways until gravity and the soles of my shoes were back on my side.

I gently but firmly held Braelynn in one arm as she clobbered me all the way out to the parking lot. We made it. I made it. I mean, I don’t think I felt victorious, but I was relieved. No one called CPS, and I avoided premature labor in the vestibule of that small town store.

I’m not going to give you some cotton candy theology and convince you that I “prevailed against God and men.” (You are wondering how this will get back to that verse at the top, right?) Well, the only thing I prevailed against was the automatic door.

I do know this, though: It was a worthwhile wrestling match. Isn’t a fight for something anyway?

In Genesis 32, the Bible doesn’t say why this mysterious brawl ensued between Jacob and “a man.” It simply states that the man wrestled with Jacob and Jacob went ahead and wrestled back. When it was time to let go, Jacob didn’t desist until he knew something good was going to come from his efforts. The man said, “Let Me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me” (Genesis 32:26 NIV).

So God gave Jacob a new name.

I sometimes wonder if I wrestle with the nasty seasons in life long enough to learn something new from them. On many occasions, I let go before daybreak and miss out on fresh perspective. Maybe I miss out on strength or provision or bigger faith. I’ll never know if I make peace before it’s time.

When something takes you to the tile, don’t stay there. Don’t lash out unreasonably. Don’t buy into cheap thrills. Don’t give up on worthwhile goals. Don’t avoid situations because of an unwillingness to put on your big girl panties and go another round wrestling with a rough moment for a lifetime character quality.

[Tweet “Leave each of life’s wrestling matches with a piece of the new woman God created you to be. “] And if you go down fast, just remember to avoid the automatic door sensor. Viral is a thing now.

Lindsey Feldpausch is a creative writer, graphic design enthusiast, social media coordinator, and sinner saved by grace who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her worship leader/youth pastor husband and four delightful kiddos fill life with unbelievably amusing quotes and sweet snuggles. She thinks God is awesome and that the best adventure starts with saying yes to that still, small voice.