WEAKNESS

Photo by Tom Van
"My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness."
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.
 2 Corinthians 12:9-10  The Message

I am adjusting ...
   To the catch in my heart when I forget for the moment that Tom is no longer with me,
       and I want to call him to say goodnight;
       think, "I should tell Tom about this movie;"
       or go to ask him if he'd rather listen to the jazz station.

I am getting used to ...
     Feeling perpetually sad,
     and always tired and foggy-minded,
     In other words being okay about not being okay.

And I have accepted that I am weak, that I have no control over what has happened to me and what I must do. 

You see, I have always prided myself on being a strong, competent, intelligent woman (and the Holy Spirit whispers, there's that word -- pride), but I'm not at all any of those things right now.  "Widow's brain" or "grief brain" has robbed me of the ability to focus and keep my thoughts organized.  I aimlessly wander from room to room.  I constantly misplace and loose things.  I now check the freezer first thing in case I've put the missing object in the freezer, again.  And it's robbed me of the confidence that I can handle all of this.

But 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 reassures me that I don't have to be strong, that Christ's grace is enough.  It's okay to be weak, because when I surrender my helplessness to him, Christ's strength takes over.  His strength strengthens me. 
    
I am weak but thou art strong;
Jesus keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
as I weak, let me walk close to thee.

 Through this world of toils and snares,
if I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but thee, dear Lord, none but thee.

 Just a closer walk with thee,
grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
daily walking close to thee;
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

                           "Just a Closer Walk with Thee"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHRISTIANS AND COFFEE BEANS

Image
1 Peter 1:17-23 John 17:14-19 Potatoes, eggs or coffee beans? Which are Christians called to be? We're going to find out as we explore what it means to be “in the world but not of the world” in today's message, “Christians and Coffee Beans.” Put three pots of water on to boil. When the water begins to boil, put some potatoes in one, eggs in another pot, and coffee beans in the third point. Boil for 20 minutes The potatoes went into the pot hard. After boiling in the hot water, they are now soft, easily broken up and mashed. The eggs, with their fragile shells and soft centers, are also changed. They are now hard-boiled. The coffee beans are different. While they look the same as they did when they were put into the water, they have transformed the water. The water has taken on the smell, taste and color of the coffee Jesus was not of this world, yet he came into the world to redeem the world by his death and resurrection an
Read more

OATHS -- GONE WITH THE WIND?

Image
Leviticus 19:11-12 Matthew 5:33-37 Even if we've never seen the movie, Gone with the Wind, we're probably familiar with Scarlett O'Hara's oath. Framed by the sunset, Scarlet raises her fist in defiance and says, “As God is my witness, I will never be hungry again!” In today's passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus leads us into a new understanding of oaths and profanity. Did the character, Scarlett O’Hara in the movie, Gone with the Wind , take the Lord’s name in vain when she made her famous oath? “As God is my witness, as God is my witness, they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again. Leviticus 19:11-12 tells us not to take oaths, make promises that profane the Lord’s name, that is take the Lord’s name in vain. Scarlett’s oath is a profane
Read more

JUST BECAUSE I'M A LIBERAL ...

Image
  Brothers and Sisters, may I share something that's been on my mind for quite a while? Just because I'm a liberal doesn't mean I'm not a Christian, because I am.  Born again and spirit-filled, it is my true identity and shapes my life, my decisions and where I fall on the spectrum.  I am unafraid and unashamed to declare, "Jesus is Lord," and I pray my actions affirm my words. Just because I'm a liberal and a Christian, doesn't mean that I don't love and respect those who are different than I am, rather in religion or politics or because of country of origin or native language.  I do, because my faith informs how I see others -- created in the image of God, given divine worth by our Creator.  To judge a person for who and what they are and not accept them is to, in my book, to call God a liar. Just because I'm a Christian who happens to be a liberal, doesn't mean I don't love my country or care about the community where I live.  God
Read more