There have been some very challenging times in the past few weeks, and in the midst of one of them I found myself in tears in my pastor's office. I said "I know that there is nothing I can do, but that feels so wrong. I should be able to do this. I should be able to affect a change in this situation. I should be able to have some control over what is going on." And then it hit me. This is something that I have said when offering encouragement to others, but had never actually verbalized to myself. If you are going through any kind of challenge right now, I want you to listen to the following verses. Carefully.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
There are absolutely 100% going to be days when I cannot handle what the world throws at me. There are going to be days - and probably a few of them - where I will not make it through on my own. And I'm not supposed to. I am supposed to ask Christ for help. Philippians 4:13 doesn't say "I can do everything on my own, and if I get into trouble I will ask for help." God knows our limits, and knowing them for ourselves is the first step to being able to successfully deal with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. We do not have to be strong enough to cope with everything. We do not have to feel like we are going to fail because we aren't strong enough, either. We can trust that God will use our weakness as a chance to show His strength. That by stepping aside and letting God be God, we are doing the most productive thing we can do.
At what point in my life did I decide that I knew better than the Creator what I should and shouldn't be doing? At what point did I take that power over my life out of His hands? I don't have that kind of authority, or ability. What a wise God He is for knowing that eventhough I am going to try to do it on my own, I really can't, and I still need Him. And what a gracious God He is for not putting me in my place the instant I decided to step over that line. You know what that reminds me of? When your toddler tries to dress themselves in the morning, and you have somewhere that you need to be. "I do it". Meanwhile you're thinking "Ugh! No! You're going to do it wrong, its going to be a mess, and its going to ruin the plans I have for this morning!" As mothers, do we really say those things? Of course not. We encourage their budding independence, we offer help when they can't seem to get one step done, and we wait patiently (outwardly at least!) while they are hunting for the shoes they can't find that are right beside them. Isn't our Heavenly Father infinitely more patient and helpful when it comes to our lives? We can't see the plans He has for us, although we can trust in the promise that it is good, we don't know what impact our moments of rebellion or unwillingness to listen will have on those plans.
Friends, I want to encourage you, if any of this sounds familiar - if you are someone who is struggling with the feeling that you are losing control, losing the grip that you once had... let go. Rest in the fact that God is control. Things in this life may take us by surprise, but they don't take Him by surprise. He is there for you, ready to help you, ready for you to lean on Him - to call on Him, to rely on Him - at all times. God isn't just a tool that we pull out for emergencies, to be placed safely back in storage until we need Him again. He wants to be with you through it all. He wants that close relationship with you. He doesn't want you to have to do it on your own. He really does love us so much.
This song has spoken to me so much lately. I hope that it blesses and encourages you just as it has me.
