Jacob was alone

  Jacob was left alone; 

and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 

When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, 

he struck him on the hip socket; 

and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 

Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ 

But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ 

So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ 

And he said, ‘Jacob.’ 

Then the man said, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, 

for you have striven with God and with humans, 

and have prevailed.’  

Genesis 32:24-28

As we are left alone, we all struggle with something, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. The story of Jacob encourages us to hold on, continue to wrestle, and seek out the blessings which can only be found through confronting the pain. We, individually, as a country and as a world community, will be different when we have prevailed against this virus. What that will look like will depend upon what blessings we have gathered.