Be a loser

I just was (finally) reading the July issue of Christianity Today yesterday—I know, that was over a month ago now. But at least that means that the articles are online now :) One of the articles was just a page long, actually more of an op-ed or column. I found it very good and forwarded the link to a friend who was going through a tough time at work. I thought others might benefit too, so here it is:

It's amazing—and sobering—to realize that Jacob has the strength to resist God. It isn't until the angel of the Lord dislocates Jacob's hip that Jacob surrenders and requests what he's really been fighting for—a blessing. My husband, a wrestling coach, tells me the hip is the wrestler's pivot point, the core of his strength. God can't give Jacob the blessing he desperately needs until he incapacitates him at the center of his human power...

I don't know that it ever feels good to have our own strength overcome. But if we want to be blessed, if we want to relocate from living in our own resources to resting in the middle of God's goodness, power, and provision, sometimes a little dislocation is necessary.

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Please read the whole article for the full impact.

Of course, my question is always, "Why are you depending on your own strength in the first place?" One of the basic tenets of Christianity is we can't do it, we need God to do it for us, so why do we continue to struggle and strive and generally exhaust ourselves for nothing? Why not just surrender and let God have his way with us from the start?

I know; pride is usually the block, although unbelief runs a close second. Just an
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on a Wednesday morning