JABBOK COUNSELING

The office was named after a river in modern-day Jordan, historically located in Israel. The Jabbok River became a metaphor representing the struggle to reconcile many aspects that influence us including our family history, past and present experiences, and choices we make. In the ancient story of Jacob, Jacob, whose name means “deceiver”, cheated his brother by persuading him to give up his birthright, and with the encouragement of his mother, he also cheated his brother out of the coveted blessing of their father. Jacob fled to his uncle's house for refuge and then cheated his uncle who also deceived him. After making his uncle angry, Jacob fled his uncle's home fearing for his life. Upon leaving, he discovered that his brother whom he had deceived previously was coming to meet him and Jacob thought his brother wanted to kill him for his earlier deception. Jacob was faced with his past and present behavior, family system struggles, and who he could be. He took his family and all his livestock across the Jabbok River and returned to the other side to be alone. While he was alone, he wrestled with an angel all night long until both of them were completely exhausted. In the struggle, he faced the influence of his family, his history, and the choices he had made. After wrestling with the angel all night, Jacob was given a new name. He was given the name Israel which means “the father of many nations.” He was completely changed and created a different future for himself and his family. Sometimes life requires us to wrestle with aspects of ourselves and our past to create a new future. Jacob built a memorial in that spot in remembrance of his struggle and the changes that struggle brought. Memorials or altars were commonly built in a location of a significant event.  Life can bring us to moments in which we are no longer able to manage well even with our best efforts. We must venture out on a new journey that may require us to change in order to build a new future. I hope you choose to engage in the wrestling as we journey together for a season of your life.