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10+12-09 (Weakness=Strength)
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Stephanie McIver
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Oct 12, 2009 13:26 PDT
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Steph’s Stuff
10-12-09
(Weakness=Strength)
I have talked to so many people lately who have told me how they have
been struggling. Their faith is a comfort, but when push comes to
shove, they are relying on their own abilities and strengths to get them
over whatever hump has presented itself. And failing miserably. Can I
relate? Umm, YEAH! YES! No doubt about it! Been there (and continue
to go back there WAY too often…) done that. Human condition. Can I get
an AMEN on that? (Thanks.)
The other comment I hear over and over again is how our aging bodies are
failing us. Bad backs. Bum knees. Fibromyalgia and other diseases.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Growing old is not for
sissies! And that revelation is something you just can’t fathom until
you’re there. But in being there, I feel a responsibility to continue
to give those ailments to Him. Somehow, when I seek His face and give
Him those physical challenges, they stop hurting quite as badly. He
gives me other things to focus on and I forget that bum knee and those
achy joints for a while.
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then
I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
I don’t know which translation this verse comes from. I saw it in a
daily e-mail I receive—and as He often does, some of the same verses
come into my vision over and over—at just the right time. In my
weakness, when I finally acknowledge that I just cannot do it any
longer, He takes over and provides solutions I never, ever would have
found on my own. His word is true. He WANTS us to give it up and let
Him take over. But how? The world would tell you it is YOUR
responsibility. Step up to the plate. Clean up your mess—no matter how
messy it is. You made it. You clean it. End of story.
Wrong.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times I’ve messed up in my life.
And I don’t want to. It would be an endless list, one that I’d rather
not focus on—because He tells me I’m forgiven. He tells me that once
I’ve confessed that mess, it is no longer on His radar. And I need to
not let it be on mine either. Don’t go back there. Ever. Don’t do
that same messy thing—and He will help you move on to the next level—the
level where you have matured and don’t even think of making that sin
part of your life ever again. I have found that the only way this can
happen is to trust Him with it—and let it go. If I keep focusing on it,
the enemy will take that opportunity to magnify it in my mind. Make it
a bigger deal than it was—or tell me that there’s no way I can ever
change. And that’s wrong too. The more I give those messes to Him, the
more I can trust Him to truly heal me the right way, from the inside
out.
“If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry
this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary
lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power
with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for
yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and
battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to
do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually
terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we
haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture,
mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives!
Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life
all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're
getting in on the best!” 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (MSG)
Gosh! I copied and pasted that verse—and got two phone calls, one
right after the other—confirming that HE wants us to recognize that WE
CANNOT DO IT ON OUR OWN! Two sobbing women, with HUGE issues gave their
confidences to me—and no, I’m not saying who they are or what those
circumstances are—it doesn’t matter. He is telling us BIG TIME—DO NOT
MISS THIS!! Give it to Him and trust Him to take care of it. No matter
how long it takes. Do NOT give up. Do not believe the LIE that He
doesn’t hear you—or care. Or that you are being punished for the
unforgivable. NOTHING and NO ONE can separate us from His love. Seek
it. Believe it. Trust in Him with all your heart. Your own
understanding? IT SUCKS! (sorry). But it doesn’t begin to fathom what
He wants you to have—if you will just give it to Him.
I’ve spent the last two hours trying to get this out—I have a lot of
things I need to do today and yet, as I wrote, He brought my attention
back to these verses. He has shown Himself to me so clearly lately. I
am amazed. I am thrilled. And I need to realize that His love is deep,
strong, loyal and NEVERENDING—even for me. Even for you.
Believe it. Okay, I’m done. See ya tomorrow…
Fondly,
Stephanie
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