St. Paul, the author of Corinthians and much more in the Bible, learned that when
he appears weak in others’ eyes, he is stronger, for then God works through Him most
effectively. This may be a hard pill to swallow for most of us. In my humanness, I do not
like to appear or ever be weak and yet, I know that God’s grace encourages me to lean
on Him, with much better results. I find comfort in Psalm 94:19, “When cares increase
within me, Your comfort brings me joy.
Spiritual effectiveness doesn’t depend on our abilities – or even on how others
view us. It depends solely on our willingness to rely entirely on Christ for results. As
caretakers, how do we manage the numerous details for our ill loved one’s care and our
own needs, particularly as we are aging. We know our earthly life can involve hardship,
even for those who are faithful. Jesus explicit teaching was that Christians should
expect hardships, a warning He gave specifically to prevent discouragement in the face
of hard times.
John 16.33, “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the
world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” The wonder
is not that God permits us to have troubles, but that He gives us peace in our troubles.
In my experience, I have found when I have little energy and rely on the Lord, I am able
to do so much more than even when I am at the top of my game. Trusting God in His
wisdom and letting go, brings much more fruitfulness to my labors. Being strong in the
Lord is a unique, outstanding form of strength, that enables us to be at peace as we do
what we can within the limitations of our lives and trust the results to the Lord.
I quote David Farina Turnbloom (Give Us This Day, 5/8/24,) “We are reassured
by the Scriptures (especially the Psalms) that feelings of exhaustion, fear and doubt are
not evidence of our weakness and failure. Rather these challenges are an unavoidable
part of our calling to follow Christ. So, if we are struggling to find energy and motivation,
it can help to remind ourselves that, according to St. Paul, God knows we are trying, we
are seeking, we are groping. We can find comfort in the fact that God ‘is not far from
any one of us.’ God simply desires that we continue to seek and strive to know and love
Christ.”
Let us echo the words of Psalm 71:14, “I will always hope in You and add to all
Your praise.” May we count on God to restore us and always have hope!
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