A few days ago, I was reading 2 Corinthians 12,
which contains one of my favorite passages of all time. In this passage,
apostle Paul talks about a thorn that he was given to keep him humble because
of revelations he had been given.
Pride is something I have dealt with, especially
when things in my life are going very well. It is in the most difficult moments
in my life that I tend to lean on God the most. When I have those moments that
I am fully dependent on God, I am usually very humble because I realize that my
strength is coming only from God, not me. As things start to look up, sometimes
I start to believe that it was through my power, through my strength, through
my will to survive that I got through those difficult moments.
That’s not the truth.
The truth is that God is with us in every moment
of our lives- the good, the bad and the downright ugly. We may feel closer to
God in the deepest and darkest moments in our lives, but the truth is that He
is with us in every moment, every situation, every second of every day. No
matter what you’re going through, He is with you right now. If you let Him, He
will give you the strength you need.
I took the photo above as I went for my walk this morning. Tree branches represent to me the twists and turns that our lives can take- some are straight, some are sharp, some come out of nowhere, some are short, some are long, some are bumpy, some are smooth- just like the many moments of our lives. In the background of this photo, there is a beautiful sunrise. This photo is supposed to represent how we can use the dark moments of our lives- all those twists and turns- and let God's light shine through, shine past those difficult times in order to create something beautiful. Our lives can be unpredictable, but God's light, love, hope and peace never change. We can always rely on God.
The Amplified Bible version says:
“But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and
mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear
the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power
are made perfect (fulfilled and completed)… when I am weak [in human
strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).” -2
Corinthians 12:9a,10b (AMP)
God’s grace is something that we cannot gain from
the things we do or do not do while we are on this earth. God’s grace is a part
of who He is. It’s the loving-kindness He shows towards all of His children. It’s
the mercy He shows towards those who are going through rough times.
Something I really like about this version is also
that it explains the difference between our weakness and God’s strength. We are
weak because we are human. There is a lot of evil in this world and there are
many moments in our lives when we are frightened, worried- whatever it is that
separates you from God. I have had a lot of moments in my own life when I truly
felt weak and that there was no way that I could possibly move forward or keep
fighting for another day.
What keeps me going? What kept me going even in
the midst of those difficult times?
Put simply, it is the strength of God that keeps
me fighting for a better day. It is only through His strength, His power and His
might that I am still here. It is through Him that I find joy even in the darkest
moments in my life- in the situations that no human should ever have to endure.
The Message says:
“I quit focusing on the handicap and began
appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my
weakness” -2 Corinthians 12:9 (MSG)
Read that over if you have to. As someone who has multiple
disorders that I deal with every day, I know that it is often very difficult to
appreciate the difficulties in our lives. But I can tell you that even the most
difficult trials in our lives can be tremendous blessings. It is through God’s
strength that we can take our weaknesses, our failures, our regrets, and
transform them into something truly beautiful.
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