The idea of wrestling with God seems pointless to me. The results are obvious. We can’t win that battle, no matter how hard we try. Every struggle in life has a connection to that very subject. When we come into the world, we take our first breath and scream our lungs out in protest. When we learn to walk, rather than crawl, we tend to fall a few times before mastering the craft. When we fall in love the first time and our love is rejected, it might take us down a slippery slope. When we take our first job, responsibility is now a must, and we have to learn fast that the world doesn’t revolve around us. When we marry and have a family, we continue to see that it isn’t about us anymore. When we approach our final days and long to be in heaven, the wars of life seem hopeless. We cry out to God to bring us home. Each of those little battles – those wrestling matches – those losses – disappointments – ups and downs – are all like playing tug of war with the Creator of the universe. We know the outcome. He wins.

Life takes us on a journey of growth – not just physically, but spiritually – if we let it. If we surrender to God’s will for our lives, we’re not saying, “uncle,” we’re simply submitting to the plan He has already designed for us. With each stage, we are being refined, molded, shaped, pounded at times, crushed and come close to caving in. If we consider each of these steps as a path to heaven, we can see the real end result. We win.

The spiritual walk to heaven is never an easy one. Some may think that’s true, but once you recognize that the victory has already been won by Jesus, the wrestling turns into a perfect win for all those who believe. Everyone wins!