2 Cor. 12:9-10 "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.”
A crisis will always reveal a person’s true character. A daily and private relationship of meeting and worshiping God is the essential element of spiritual fitness. If we are not developing that intimate relationship with our Creator every day, when a crisis comes, we will certainly fall flat and may even lose our bearing. Where are we drawing our strength in times of trouble? So often we look to the world and others around us; we pour out our story to a friend over coffee, or perhaps you are like me, and you just keep yourself busy hoping that the problem will just go away, and if I keep myself busy enough I won’t stop long enough to think about it. Unfortunately, when I lay my head down on my pillow at night, the problem is still there, plaguing me in my thoughts.
How many of us actually lay each and every one of our troubles and concerns down at the foot of the cross the moment they occur? I used to attempt to handle my difficulties all by myself, because after all, I was quite capable and believed I was a very strong woman. I never wanted the world to know that inside, I was insecure and overwhelmed. Even though I met with the Lord each morning for a time of devotion, once I started my day, it was my will, my plans, my work, and my family that always came first. I lived for so many years as a pseudo person living behind a mask that I thought covered the real me.
It was not until the death of my child that I became undone. For years I had been at war with my emotions, which I stuffed deep inside, and I never allowed anyone to see the real me. When this tragedy occurred, my emotions finally won out and the Lord revealed my true weakness and vulnerabilities. Hebrews 6:19-20 says “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.” My Savior pulled back the curtain only to reveal that it was Him all along who had been my strength, who had been my source, who had been at the center of my will. I am a different person today and I like who I am becoming. It is the real me who is filled with insecurities and doubts, but I am okay with that because His grace is sufficient for me today.
– Melody
