“You’ve forced me to talk this way, and I do it against my better judgment. But now that we’re at it, I may as well bring up the matter of visions and revelations that God gave me. For instance, I know a man who, fourteen years ago, was seized by Christ and swept in ecstasy to the heights of heaven. I really don’t know if this took place in the body or out of it; only God knows. I also know that this man was hijacked into paradise—again, whether in or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. There he heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard. This is the man I want to talk about. But about myself, I’m not saying another word apart from the humiliations. Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. If I had a mind to brag a little, I could probably do it without looking ridiculous, and I’d still be speaking plain truth all the way. But I’ll spare you. I don’t want anyone imagining me as anything other than the fool you’d encounter if you saw me on the street or heard me talk.”
2 Corinthians 12:1-10 MSG
This truth of being strong in our weakness is definitely something I have found as I got older and began learning more and more about myself and my relationship with God. Especially working in nonprofit work and always being busy, it is easy to feel burned out or weak, I even felt it today! Although this happens, it is at this moment that we remember the strength of God.
I keep a bullet journal that has really kept me grounded and accountable to myself and my goals. Every week I have a section for prayers and for blessings. Filling out these sections is one of my favorite things to do during the week. When I am feeling exhausted and going to pray for it, I see my blessings and remind myself of the power of our Father. I love to see and name my blessings so I can remember how important this life is. It keeps me positive, even in my dark days.
God does not fail and he does not send us out to do His work without being equipped. It is empowering to know that God’s power is within us at ALL times. Even in the darkness, we can remember the light that is Him within us.