Embrace It!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Let’s get real! Most of us do not want to ask for help even if we are up to our elbows in alligators! “I can do this alone!” I’ve heard those words and said those words even when I was in pain—just to show someone my independence (and stupidity). Then a wise mentor told me I was robbing others of an opportunity to use their spiritual gifts and the message hit home—loud and clear. Pat Butler Dyson (Mornings with Jesus) tells us about the time she heard Him say, “Embrace it!”
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After a bone-crushing bicycle accident, I’d spent the night in the hospital, icing my broken collarbone, scapula, and ribs, and getting pain medication. Jesus, get me home!
My husband, Jeff, settled me on the couch in the den and brought me my cat. He wanted me to eat, but I wasn’t hungry. I was broken and scared and I hurt everywhere. I was mad at myself for riding after a rain, at the bike that had betrayed me, at the world in general.
Over the next week, I shuttled from the couch to recliner, seeking a position that didn’t hurt. Jeff had to help me get up and down, take a shower, go to the bathroom. Jesus, I hate this weakness! And I heard Him whisper to my heart, Embrace it.
I had surgery to repair my collarbone involving an unsightly combo of plates and screws. Back home on the couch, I moaned to Jeff, “I’ll never be the same.”
Friends and family called, set cards, brought food. It was hard for me to accept help, but I had no choice. Embrace it.
A friend told me, “You were lucky. Without your helmet, you’d have a brain injury. Jesus’s grace, Pat. I know you’re grateful.” Yikes! Not so far. I’d been too busy feeling sorry for myself. Then and there I thanked Jesus for my weakness, causing me to depend on Him and on people who loved me.
FAITH STEP: Remember a time when you felt weak. How did you feel Jesus’s power?