Imagine being so hungry for significance that you trick your father into giving you your twin brother’s inheritance. Okay, now imagine living in anxiety for your safety and the safety of your family for years and years of your precious life, which is a blip in the light of eternity. 

If you’re familiar with Jacob’s story, you will remember that he has a track record of trickery and manipulation. This may seem extreme but he’s not very unlike us in his core desires and fears. He did what he needed to, to get what he wanted. Most of us have experienced pressures of life and sometimes when we are squeezed, what comes out of us doesn’t always look like love. 

He wanted what he thought he deserved and he knew how to get it. His soul was not at rest. 

You may also remember him as the man who wrestled with God and prevailed. He walked away with a limp and we call that winning. But, that’s not the only reason why. Jacob got into a tussle with God and left changed. After all of his pursuits and deception in life, He ended up face to face with the only one who wouldn’t be a victim to his endeavors but would change him and his family for generations. 

Jacob had an encounter with love. 

Love always reveals your true character and destiny despite your past faults. Papa God sees you through the lens of love. Our names reveal our character and Jacob’s name was to follow at the heel, supplant, pursue and chase down. This was his identity up until this point; his life’s work. In one moment the past was no more as Papa declared “Israel” – one who wrestles with God. God had given him a new identity. No longer would he be known as the heel grabber but by the fact that God had gotten ahold of him. 

You see, after this, the way he would maneuver through life would change physically and in his heart posture as well. When Esau and Jacob met again after 14 years, Jacob wasn’t running from him. He wasn’t trying to trick him. They weren’t going to have another falling out or showdown. No. There was an embrace. The healing had come. Jacob faced God, and himself, then he got to face his brother, with no fear. He had heaven’s eyes.

He was awakened to love. 

Is there an area in your life where you need to stop running after what this life has to offer? What Papa God has is an invitation to be transformed by His presence. 

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