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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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We Who Wrestle with God summary
Jordan B. Peterson
An exploration of foundational Biblical text
18 mins
Brief summary
We Who Wrestle with God delves into the intersection of psychology, religion, and personal struggle, offering insights on life's profound dilemmas through the lens of biblical narratives and contemporary psychological theories for deeper self-understanding.
Table of Contents
We Who Wrestle with God
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It’s humanity’s mission to tame chaos
Genesis, the first book of the Bible, uses a particular Hebrew word to describe God’s acts of creation: bara, which means to create something out of nothing.
The verb, which can only be used with God as a subject, appears in three passages: when God creates the elements, when God creates all living creatures, and – most momentously – when God creates man in his own image. The God of Genesis, then, is a creator who confronts the void – an architect who brings order out of chaos.
But this order isn’t rigid or static. It pulses with potential – charged with the possibility of growth, transformation, and renewal. God’s creation is a new day.
Consider, by analogy, what happens when you wake up in the morning. Your attention doesn’t fix itself upon the banal objects that surround you: the dresser, mirror, and wardrobe remain the same each day. Instead, it takes flight into the future as you consider the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of you. Just as your consciousness alights on the potential that resides in new beginnings, God sees the order He creates in terms of possibility – a world not just of being, but of becoming.
Imagine a simple object – a bottle or a pen. Its immediate purpose seems predictable: the bottle holds liquid; the pen writes. But in moments of urgency, these objects transform. A bottle smashed in a rowdy bar becomes a deadly weapon. A pen becomes the means of preserving life when it’s inserted into the trachea of someone who’s choking.
In the same way, God’s creation is full of latent possibilities, shaped not by chance but by divine intention. Guided by love, He aims for all things to not only exist, but to flourish. The life he foresees for His creation moves ever upwards from the good to the very good.
Creation culminates in the making of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Cast in God’s image, the first human beings, like all humans who follow them, are avatars of their creator. They possess the divine spark that will allow them to fashion order from chaos and to bend possibility toward the good. Humanity, then, has a mission: to mirror the creative process of its Maker, fashioning a world that thrives and ascends.
This optimistic conception of humanity is at the heart of the story we are told in Genesis. It reminds us that, like our Creator, we are called to confront the void, to shape possibility, and to participate in the continuous act of creation.
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What is We Who Wrestle with God about?
We Who Wrestle with God (2024) guides us through the Biblical stories that shaped and continue to define Western civilization. Highlighting the psychological and cultural meaning of these foundational texts, it examines themes of rebellion, sacrifice, suffering, and forgiveness, offering readers tools to navigate the chaos of modern life while embracing timeless wisdom.
Who should read We Who Wrestle with God?
- Fans of biblical analysis and psychological insights
- Anyone seeking personal growth and self-improvement
- Admirers of Jordan Peterson’s work
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