Strong part 2
Let's add the next verse to our key verse from yesterday. "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Its all about receiving and releasing. Taking what you've heard--from eyewitness accounts of God and His love--and then teaching others. Being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus is, really, as strong as you can be. And why grace is so important is because His strength is made perfect in our weakness. If we could be strong all by ourselves we wouldn't need Him. And I believe God WILL let us try to do things ourselves, if that's what we're of a mind to do. But I don't recommend that. Remember yesterday I said I might touch on the idea of how sometimes we have to go through this to get to that? And how sometimes we don't need to? Well, my dad referred to it as "going around the mountain." And he always said sometimes we need to go around the mountain more than once before we could figure it out. And while he liked to say, "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but never the same mistake twice," I was always the opposite. I liked to make the same mistake at least a couple of times... just to be really, really sure that it WAS a mistake. The point I'm trying to make is that we all learn at different speeds. Sometimes you have to go through it before you figure it out. And sometimes you don't. Sometimes you try something and just immediately "get it." They call that being a natural, right? When you're just naturally good at something? And that's all well and good. But when you DO go through something... well... a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. No matter how good something might sound, if you've been there, done that, and got the t-shirt then you know what its really all about. And when we're talking about the strength of God's grace... when we're talking about teach others... there's nothing stronger than being able to say, "I've been where you're at. I made it through. You can too." There's nothing stronger than being able to help someone through what they're going through, with your first-hand knowledge. Receiving AND releasing. Giving what you've got. And, sad but true, sometimes people be able to receive what you've got to give. Sometimes people won't want you're advice. But you have to let them do what they're going to do. Like I said, I think God let's us have some measure of free will. If we want to do something... we're probably going to. I've found that two of the hardest things in life are 1. Doing something you don't want to do. 2. Not doing something you do want to do. Most people are pretty stubborn. Once something strikes us, or grabs us, or gets into our heads... its hard to get out. We have to be heavily persuaded oftentimes to change our minds. But an experience will do that real quick. It will make us understand what's really what in a strong way. In a way that we can then share. So be gracious. Graceful. Offer what you've got, but don't force it on people. Its stronger, and more meaningful--its real--if they pick up what you're laying down without being forced.