Recently, I went to a conference with the women from my church. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing my notes on this platform. So many times, we have access to amazing teaching, it gets written down and then forgotten. If the information, lessons and challenges can be touched just one more time, maybe, just possibly, it’ll stick a little longer.
Everyone has a past. Y’all…EVERYONE does! Yet somehow we tend to glorify our own as if it’s some sort of magical level of bad. Don’t get me wrong, I know some guys and gals who have been wronged in the worst most hurtful ways imaginable… pain is very true. BUT so are God’s promises!
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7, NKJV
9 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.
2 Corinthians 12:9, (NKJV)
When was the last time you BOASTED in your infirmities? I don’t know about you, but my infirmities (physical or mental weaknesses) are typically the script of my complaining.
I fell flat down yesterday. I’d like to name just one body part I fell on, but it was several. It was a fall and roll. No that sounds too elegant. It was more like a fall and flop. I doubt the cars passing by thought “Wow, that woman must have an education in dance, because that fall was beautiful.” Nope, they were probably laughing at the now 40 year old awkwardly falling and then disappearing into the creek bed full of rocks and roots because her overzealous puppy decided to pull as said woman did a little leap over a patch of mud. This morning, I woke up with a very stiff shoulder (and other unmentionable body parts) and have continued to complain about the pain every hour on the hour. Am I boasting? NO! My natural response is not to boast or to sit and wait for the power of Christ to rest upon me. Nope… I’m a complainer.
I know this is a very small story of pain, but pain is pain. And we feel like no one understands our pain just like we do. We give ourselves allowances to coddle it and actually will use it to feel special in a way. But yall! God cares about us! His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Praise the Lord!
“Don’t despise what drives you to your knees, what drives you to the feet of Jesus.”
Jeremy Foster