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当生活令人失望或艰难时，你会如何反应？你会留下来面对你的挣扎，还是转身逃跑？

当然，如何应对生活中的挑战是个复杂的问题。因着神的启示，雅各开始准备回家。但随后他偷偷地离开了，没有将他离开的计划告诉他舅舅。有时，我们对神的顺服也会被我们自己的犯罪倾向和对恐惧的反应所玷污。

但在他的恐惧和不确定中，雅各开始有些明白神的信实了。他又听到“伯特利的神”的声音，这使他想起很久以前的那个夜晚，神使雅各——这个一无所有的逃亡者——看到一个天梯。现在，即使在另一个计划中，雅各也被提醒，神对他的喜爱是个礼物。

使徒保罗解释说，我们行善的愿望总是被我们的罪挫败。（参罗 7:18-25）当我们被得罪时，我们倾向于以罪的方式来回应。我们逃避自己的失望，我们面对困难时，会变得充满怨恨和心胸狭窄。

然而，神是信实的，祂以祂慈爱的同在追赶我们。提醒我们那通往天堂的路，和耶稣所成就的工，这些甚至会遮盖我们在跟随神时所作的一些错误的努力。

How do you respond when life is disappointing or difficult? Do you stay and face your struggles, or do you turn and run?

Responding well to life's challenges is a complicated subject, of course. Jacob begins preparing to leave for home because of a revelation from God. But then he sneaks away without telling his uncle about his plan to leave. Sometimes even our obedience to God is tainted with our own tendencies to sin and our reactions to fear.

But in the midst of his fear and uncertainty, Jacob begins to understand something of the faithfulness of God. He hears again the voice of "the God of Bethel," reminding him of that night long ago when God showed Jacob—the runaway with nothing to his name—a stairway to heaven. Now again, even in the midst of another scheme, Jacob is reminded that God's favor comes as a gift.

The apostle Paul explains that our desire to do good is always frustrated by our sin (Romans 7:18-25). And when we are sinned against, we tend to respond in sinful ways. We run away from our disappointments, and we become resentful and mean-spirited when we face difficulties.

Still, God faithfully pursues us with his loving presence. He reminds us of the way to heaven, the finished work of Jesus, which covers even our misguided efforts to follow God's ways.