Have you noticed how important it is in our society to be strong? Americans believe in pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. The physically and mentally strong are admired. They’re the ones making all the money playing sports and running billion dollar businesses. Strength is idolized in this country, and it’s easy for us Christians to fall into its trap too.
At different times, I’ve had dear friends comment about how strong I am or, after reading one of my articles, share their shock over my obvious lack of strength. I had seemed so strong, so together they didn’t see my fears. I wore a pretty good mask that hid the truth.
I wanted to share my e-mail response to a friend recently, because it reveals what has always been under that mask, “You know, I’m really not strong at all. It’s the opposite. I know just how weak I am, and the only hope I have of getting through any of it (Seth’s heart and Mom’s cancer), is by staying close to God. I know just how easy it is for me to get swept away in worry and fear. I just thank God for carrying me through. I am so thankful that no matter how ugly my emotions were or how little faith I had, He still loved me and worked for Seth’s very best health. Thank God, I didn’t have to be perfect for Him.”
Part of what looks like strength is the fact that we don’t have a choice in the matter. God has given us a child with a serious illness or defects, we have to live with it and keep going. We don’t get to say, “no”, to our child’s health problems. We just do what we have to do for our child. The great love we feel for our child mixed with the necessary steps to care for them can look like strength. Only we know just how broken our heart is, how deep our worries run, and how much we need God.
How do we Christians fall into the trap of having to be strong? I often hear it said that, “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” Forgive my bluntness, but I can’t think of a saying more untrue. It’s repeated as if it’s a verse from Scripture, but it’s not. The Bible teaches over and over again the very opposite. It’s constantly reminding us how much we need God. We needed a Savior because we couldn’t “handle” our own sin. If we can’t even control ourselves and our sin, how can we handle anything else life on this sin-filled planet throws our way? God didn’t put us here to be little super heroes, able to do anything without Him.
Paul says it perfectly in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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.” (Emphasis mine.) Paul is made strong because God made Him strong.
These aren’t the only verses that speak of our dependence on God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” To be heavy laden means to carry heavy burdens. We can yoke ourselves to Him and He will help carry our load. We can stay yoked to Him and make life easier.
The Old Testament gives us stories of God’s people winning impossible battles and of mighty men of valor. Where did they get their strength? We know they didn’t create it themselves, just as Paul didn’t create his own. Isaiah tells us in chapter 40 verse 29 exactly where their power comes from, “He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.” When God’s people stayed close and obedient to Him, they were strong. When they walked away and tried to be self-sufficient (or dependent on other gods), they also walked away from their source of strength and easily became someone else’s slave.
Wow. Doesn’t that sound like us? Each day we go without being with God, our faith grows a little weaker. We don’t notice the changes at first. Suddenly, we find ourselves swimming in worry, stressed out trying to solve the latest problem. We feel alone and helpless, so we run to other gods – doctors, information on the internet, people – whoever we can find to solve our problem. When we are at our weakest and falling apart is when we see just how far we’ve gotten from God, our source of strength.
Thank God He’s so easy to come back to! We ask for His forgiveness for walking away, for creating other gods, and yoke ourselves to Him. We keep that yoke securely in place by reading the Bible, praying, and worshipping Him. It is an easy, light yoke to carry.
So, yes, we can be strong! Let’s accept our weakness and our total dependence on God, when we do, God’s strength will fill us. We will be enabled to meet any battle head on because it’s not really us fighting it – it’s Him. When those battles look too big, we can remember that it isn’t ours to win. We can hand it over to God and let Him win the battle for us and for His glory.
In His Love,
Kimberly
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