What a Day!

OK. I’ve just plopped down at the computer, and my neck hurts and my muscles ache. And I’d tell you about what I did today, but the list would be shorter if I tell you what I didn’t do. (Pause. Pick up clump of rice my 7th grader apparently dropped on the computer keyboard a while ago.) A few hours ago, I was standing at the stove thinking, Lord, I really don’t WANT to be the Proverbs 31 woman today! And yesterday (my goodness, that was just yesterday!) I was in Wal-mart, talking to a young mom and fellow youth minister’s wife. You know that list where they give you stress points for life events—moving, changing jobs, death in the family, etc.--her family has dealt with almost every item on that list in the last three months. And then when some new little thing happens, you think, ok, God, I’m just really not sure I can deal with this right now! But life is like that. Full of the unexpected. Crazy. Busy. Tiring. My mother-in-law sometimes says, “It’s a great life, if you don’t weaken.” But we ALL weaken. We can’t do it by ourselves! Why do you think so many people turn to a bottle of alcohol, or one other of the countless ways to try and escape their life? Hmmm. “My power is made perfect in weakness.” What a thought!

Anyone remember the context of that verse? I didn’t, I had to go look it up. J But it’s great! It’s about Paul’s thorn in the flesh. I hope this strengthens you, as it is for me, tonight. Here it is, out of the NIV (2 Corinthians 7-10): To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, [note this is in red in my Bible—Jesus is talking!] “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Let Christ’s grace and power rest on you today, dear friend!