Wrestling With Angels
It's an old-school story about Jacob physically pounding a blessing (or redemption for sins against his brother, depending on your source) out of an angel. No matter your source, he gets his blessing but he doesn't come out without scars from the fight. The stories are sometimes a little out of my reach. But often paintings like this one from Gustav Dore and this one from fellow Frog Eugene Delacroix . .
. . . really help me by (as any work of quality art would, according to Heidegger) putting/projecting me into their own world. And I belong in these worlds right now. I really need to believe in this moment that humility and supplication are not the only paths to blessings. I'm ready to fight and I'm ready to bear the dislocated hip or the fat lip or the bruised ego or whatever it takes to get things on the right track for my career/our family's finances.
For those of you who think my turning for symbolism to what you might (generously, for some of you . . ) call superstition to solve very real temporal problems -- I can assure you that if were a Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist or Agnostic -- I'm doing all the secular stuff I know to do already: networking, tracting, resume-spamming, applying and chasing down every lead. A little faith can't hurt. Maybe you can get behind Reverend Book from the Firefly series: "It doesn't matter what you believe. But you have to believe".
Look at those paintings, the angels don't appear to even be trying. It doesn't appear to be about the battle for them at all. Perhaps it's about Jacob's will, commitment of physical being and faith that their blessing is more than worth a thorough ass-kicking.
Watch your wings, I'm bringin' it.
posted by Chris at
1:16 PM
4 Comments:
A little faith becomes a lot of faith as you practice it! We all have trials of our faith. But it is after the trail of faith that we are blessed. We can't say, "I'll have faith after I'm blessed." We have to have faith that we will be blessed. Sometimes not the way or time that we want. God is watching over all of us helping us and guiding us in the path He knows we should go. The question each of us has to ask ourselves is, "Am I submitting to His will by having faith in His blessings and what He is giving me. Or am I fighting against it because it's not happening fast enough or in the way we want?" Faith is one of those things that needs to grow, you can't just store it. I'm striving with you. And praying for you. {{{hugs}}}
S.
Keep on fighting the good fight.
And if you need a break, know there is family and friends only a few hours away.
*smiles*
So very feeling this.
Zorak always says, "An adventure isn't an adventure until the puckering fear is over and you're sure you're going to make it. That's why they make great stories later. Sometimes much later."
Keeping you in our prayers, down here!
Dy
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