“You ain't gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here. (taps on the inside of his hand) I'd hold you up to say to your mother, ‘this kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew.’ And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilege. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain't gonna have a life. Don't forget to visit your mother.” (Rocky Balboa speaking to his son in Rocky Balboa)
The saga of Rocky is probably the best series of movies ever created. The series is about a guy that has some street smarts and is a naturally good boxer, but he isn’t incredibly intelligent, necessarily that big, and doesn’t have the advantages of his opponents. But what he does have is determination and a good heart. The series follows Rocky’s life through the victories and the failures, the highs and the lows, and relationships that he builds and loses along the way. In the final installment, Rocky has comeback from losing his fortune but still lives a very meager lifestyle. His wife has died and he has lost a relationship with his son. And at the age of 60 years old is challenged to fight the current champion. He accepts for a number of reasons including his desire to prove to himself that he still can. He loses the fight, but barely. As he leaves the ring he is surrounded by an applause that rivals his victory over any previous opponent at his prime. What I love about Rocky is that he just keeps fighting no matter what. He fights to be the best that he can regardless if the world believes in him or not. And ultimately all he wants is to be a good person surrounded by the ones he loves. In the quote from the movie cited above Rocky makes his final defense for how he approaches life. N ot as a victor, but as a fighter. Not as a winner, but as an over-comer. Not as the strongest, but as the toughest.
Genesis 32
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon.
The story of Jacob, which begins in Genesis 25, mirrors the Rocky Balboa epic in many ways. Jacob has many advantages in life. He is obviously intelligent. And he is a hard worker and determined. But Jacob is also manipulative, easily taken advantage of, and prideful. The story of Jacob takes up an incredible amount of space in Genesis considering his story is largely based on his failures as a follower of God and as a father and husband. I don’t say this critically of Jacob. I tend to think that he was a good guy who just couldn’t seem to get a handle on life. He spent his whole life, in fact, seeking God for guidance and direction. He encounters God repeatedly each time marking a significant stage of growth. Jacob, despite his love for God and his desire to do the right thing, is still a very real person. But what makes Jacob so amazing is that with every personal failure or injustice he gets back up on his feet and keeps fighting. He realizes that he can’t do anything on his own and has to have God’s provision to accomplish anything, but despite whatever obstacles that come up in understanding the influence of God he is determined to fight it.
Jacob (who’s Hebrew name ya’aqob is very similar to the Hebrew word for wrestle ye’abeq) was clearly extremely nervous to return to his homeland after a quick and dramatic leaving of Laban. He expected to be killed by his brother Esau who he betrayed at the beginning of the Jacob story. He later discovered Esau, in fact, was meeting him at the border of their land with 400 men. Stuck between a figurative rock (Laban) and a hard place (Esau) Jacob sought out further direction from God. It was, after all, on God’s direction that Jacob decided to return to his homeland. As Jacob goes off on his own for further prayer he had to have been replaying the events in his life remembering that life and how God continued to remain a constant source of strength regardless if life was going well or not. He had to be recalling how unfairly he was not only treated by others but how unfairly he treated others in his attempt to get his way. Overcome, I imagine, with angst he encounters a man who for some crazy reason wants to fight him. Jacob can’t see his face so it is likely that the man was a mysterious figure in the brush. Jacob, wondering who is making so much noise, possibly fearing he is about to be robbed starts calling out, “Who is that? What do you want with me?” The mysterious man tackles Jacob in a way that must have seemed a little unfair to Jacob. The mystery man is strong, no doubt about it. But Jacob holds his ground. Ultimately it is a tie. The mystery man permanently wounds Jacob, but Jacob won’t let go putting the man in a position where he is able to insist the man reveal his identity. The man refuses to give his name but does offer a blessing. Jacobs receives a new name: Israel, or “God Perseveres.” As Jacob comes to realize that he wrestled with God his new name must have given so much strength. As Jacob battles to understand and be obedient to God Jacob’s new name must have summarized his enter life and the life of all who put their trust in the Lord and keep wrestling with God. And it is at that place were Jacob is given strength to know that he will persevere as long as he puts his trust in God that the name of Peniel is given to the location, “the face of God.” We will wrestle with God, but the reward is knowledge that through God we will persevere and where those two things intersect will always be at the face of God.
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