Family conflicts are always unpleasant.

Family feuds sometimes even causes physical illness.

Family fights are painful and distasteful.

But terrible as they are, what is even worse is that there are people who dread the process of reconciliation more than the conflict itself.

There are people who would rather stay apart and unreconsiled simply because they see the process of reconciling

to be a painful one. And that is why you found a lot of believers, Christians, find it easier to stay apart than be reconciled.

Why is that? I wondered in my own mind, and I really wanted to know, in my own heart,

I began to draw back on years of ministry experience. I came to the following conclusions. Many people find it easier

to keep on harboring resentment. There are many people who find it easier to keep on nursing anger.

There are many people who find it easier to rationalize the reason for the

fallout. Well, he did this, and she did this, and he did this, and he did this, and he said this,

and they rationalize it in their minds. They comfort themselves with the rightness of their cause. They often remind themselves

of their presumed innocence in the matter. But why is this? Because some people just

would do anything to avoid conflict.

And they'll say it's easier this way than to reconcile.

In the last message, we saw Jacob limping across the river after God touched his hip.

But after God wrestled with Jacob, and God won and Jacob surrendered,

after God confirmed to Jacob yet again of his plan for his life, of his plan for his future,

and the fact that the Messiah will come through him.

After the joy of meeting God face to face, after the joy of victory and the blessings that came from surrendering to God,

now it is time for Jacob to do what he did not want to do for 20 years. Now it's time for him to do what he dreaded doing for 20 years. What is it? Clean up the past. Clean up the past. Face his brother Issa, whom he wronged,

whom had cheated 20 years earlier, from whom he stole his birthright. You remember Rebecca,

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