Jacob is in hot water...
Illustration
Object:
Jacob is in hot water! Esau is coming quickly from his rear and Jacob is certain that he is pursuing him to massacre him and his entire caravan. At what he later names Peniel, he faces his struggles and seeks answers to his questions.
In his book Spiritual Direction, Henri Nouwen relates an opportunity he had to meet Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He, like Jacob, was struggling with many things in his life at the time. He decided to ask Mother Teresa for advice. When they were alone, he began his litany of complaints and problems explaining how difficult they were as well as complicated. After ten minutes he finally became quiet and she said, "Well when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong... you will be fine!"
When Mother Teresa said that, it punctured Nouwen's balloon of self-complaints and pointed him to a place of real healing.
He writes, "At first, her answer didn't seem to fit my questions, but then I began to see that her answer came from God's place and not from the place of my complaints... to live the questions and act right, guided by God's Spirit, requires both discipline and courage..."
Sounds like Jacob and the angel!
In his book Spiritual Direction, Henri Nouwen relates an opportunity he had to meet Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He, like Jacob, was struggling with many things in his life at the time. He decided to ask Mother Teresa for advice. When they were alone, he began his litany of complaints and problems explaining how difficult they were as well as complicated. After ten minutes he finally became quiet and she said, "Well when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong... you will be fine!"
When Mother Teresa said that, it punctured Nouwen's balloon of self-complaints and pointed him to a place of real healing.
He writes, "At first, her answer didn't seem to fit my questions, but then I began to see that her answer came from God's place and not from the place of my complaints... to live the questions and act right, guided by God's Spirit, requires both discipline and courage..."
Sounds like Jacob and the angel!
