When you first meet me, you might be taken by my smile, or my strong and assertive personality, or maybe just my ‘nice-ness.’ Regrettably, I am not strong as you might suppose – I am weak.
More than ever now, I am beginning to understand why the Bible refers to life as a race. You see, over the past few years, I have gone through a lot of things that I saw as opportunities for character growth. They were hard, but I felt that I was able to overcome a whole lot of it and become a much better, wiser, person – with a greater ability for faith, patience, and trust than ever before. I felt that Jesus had truly taught me some stuff, and He had. But that was only the beginning – not even half way through this hurdle race called life.
2015 was a good year – I could see growth within myself and I was happy for it, and just when I think that I’ve steered clear of anything that could happen, and just wrote a post about Resolutions here I get stuck in a situation that commands a greater trust in who Jesus says I am than ever before.
“Seriously? Why this at the end of the year when I’m tired and would like a rest? Haven’t You done all You could this year? Can’t I just have it easy until the end of the year? Bring on the battles when January comes….”
That was the type of stuff I found myself saying to God just this week. That was before I read Hebrews 13:12-13 (NLT), “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.”
“But God, how can I mark out a straight path for others when I myself feel weak?”
“So do not throw away confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive what he has promised!” Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT)
The Bible is full of paradoxes. The weak are strong, the meek inherit the earth, the humble are exalted, the servant is the leader and the list goes on and on… And here, now, God was asking me to (ONCE AGAIN) throw away all confidence in myself and fully hold onto confidence in Him. This doesn’t mean that one must have a weak self-esteem; in fact it means the exact opposite – it is one of those paradoxes.
In one of the songs that I wrote I say,
“Mind shift – in fact I need a new one see,
I’m not accustomed to the way You do life
The biggest change is loving – school me cos’ I’m a long way off
From where I need to be…
… So can I sit beside you, learn about you, get to know you
And can you never leave me…
You’re my living, loving, believing, hoping, and dreaming
All I need – yeah, yeah”
I feel that every day when we wake up ‘our weak hands should take a grip on’, ‘our weak body should sit next to’, ‘Our weak minds should focus themselves on’ – JESUS!
Meditation, unless focused on Him – will never work.
Clearing your mind without filling it with him – will end in disaster (!!!)
Looking inside oneself, without looking into his eyes to see what He sees – will never work.
Why?
Because within us there is nothing…
I honestly, now think, that Jesus keeps the hurdles there to keep us holding on to him. Throwing oneself on him daily. The obvious paradox is that when one feels weakest and throws himself or herself onto him that is when one is STRONGER THAN EVER.
“… and now let the weak say I am strong…”
If we allow it, God wants that everything that happens in and through our life to bring Glory to him…
Isaiah 40:29, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faith”
I sincerely hope, that you find that you are stronger than ever – IN HIM, today. However, my friend, if you are reading this and have no clue about what I am saying and would like to know more than feel free to click on the black banner below? I encourage you to seek the source of true strength!