Weakness part 4
I guess I'm just tired of pretending that I'm strong. Tired of pretending that I don't have weakness. Tired of pretending. Listen: there are things I'm good at, and there are things I'm not good at. The rub is that I think I can do the things I'm good at all on my own. And that doesn't leave any room for God. I know I always use this example, but I'm going to use it again... I think I'm a pretty good writer. I've been writing all my life. But it wasn't until I started writing, "Jesus books" that things actually started to go anywhere. It wasn't until I offered up my life as a living sacrifice, if I can say it that way. And then, when I gave my strength to the Lord, He was able to use it. When I'm writing... I really feel like I know why I'm here. But there's something that is in some ways even better than that. Giving your strength to the Lord is magnificent. But giving your WEAKNESS to the Lord... that's supernatural. That's when you start to do things you never thought you could do. Moses has been our example of this. God told him to talk to Pharaoh. Moses said he wasn't a good talker (speaker? whatever). God said, "Who do you think made you that way? I didn't pick the 'best' speaker I could find. I picked someone who I could speak through. Someone who KNOWS he can't do it himself. Someone who needs to trust in me to do it in and as and through them." Let me say it another way: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). I'm convinced that if we want to try to do "it," whatever it is, on our own... God will let us try. And He'll be waiting with open arms when we fail. Because He doesn't love us IN SPITE of our weaknesses. He loves us BECAUSE of our weaknesses. Daddy loves to help, and if you don't need any help--if you THINK you don't need any help--then there's nothing for Daddy to do. And, listen, I'm not talking about being babies, naturally or Spiritually. I'm simply saying that with man it is impossible, and with God all things are possible. I'm simply saying you don't need to disqualify yourself because of your weaknesses. You don't need to try to hide them, or pretend that they don't exist. Guys... asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of wisdom. We are all one body, and if one part of the body can't do something, chances are another part of the body can. That's what love does--it unites us. It draws us together and keeps us together. It allows us to use our strengths for and with each other, so that our strengths are made perfect in weakness. We can't (and won't) work together if I think I can do it all by myself. But if I glory in my infirmities... that's when the power of Christ rests upon me. That's when God can work in and through and as me. That's when we can work together and that's when we can love each other. (Because you know it's all about love, right?) Strength is good--especially when you give it to the Lord--but weakness can be even better because that's when HIS strength steps in!