Wrestling With Change

"So Jacob was left alone and a 'man' wrestled with him till daybreak." Genesis 32:24

I pray that you are well and that you enjoy a restful and enjoyable long weekend in honor of those who work, remembering that we depend on the work of others as well as our own work to build the world in which we live.

This weekend is also a time of preparation for new beginnings both in our church life and our home life. As a church, we're getting ready for Kick-Off Sunday and the All-Parish picnic Sept. 9th. And many of you will be returning to or starting a new phases in your lives with a new school year. To mark this new beginning, we will bless the backpacks of all the children and youth in attendance during the 10:00 a.m. Chapel service on Sunday as a reminder that God will be with them as they begin a new school year.

New beginnings come throughout our lives, and more often than not they come with a little bit of fear and apprehension. We're familiar with our current lives, but we're not sure about the life and changes that are coming our way. Of the many things I talked about with our youngest son on our way to his new college, he wondered out loud if he could remember how to make friends. His friends over the last four years have been so steady and strong, that he couldn't remember how they first became friends. I assured him that he would be fine and so far he has been.

Too often we worry and wrestle with our fears until the new phase of our life begins. Jacob wrestles an entire night with his fears over meeting his brother again and starting a new life in a different land. Like Jacob, many of us can relate to wrestling with our fears through the night, but thankfully, we never wrestle alone. The God who was with Jacob is also with you and me. God is a God who loves us, and promises to walk with us in every phase of life. New beginnings are just another time to see God's gracious hand at work. Eventually, like Jacob, we also enter into a new life.

So, sleep well and remember that though you don't quite know what's coming next in life, God is with you - always.

Grace and Peace,
WFA