It’s been a little bit since I’ve written anything as I had surgery 2 weeks ago so it feels like this is a another real life at times with Kari. I’m about two weeks post surgery and really didn’t take any time off of work. I have reduced the number of clients that I’ve seen in the last two weeks which has been helpful
I have discovered that everything I do is going to take longer and when I think I’m going to be on time I’m going to be late. I have discovered many unique ways to complete normal tasks that you don’t even think about – everything from opening up my water bottles so I can get a refill to buttering my toast. My left hand is becoming quite adept at new tasks and I can even write legibly although it’s painfully slow.
I feel like I’ve been here so many times in the last few years as this has been my fifth surgery in five years. If nothing else all my past surgeries have trained me to look at the difficulties as situations I can find humor in. So when my frustration starts to go up, I look for a way to laugh about it. This was really hard at first when I started with these surgeries and operations five years ago, but with each of these it’s become easier to just find a way around it or through it and laugh about it.
I was reading in 2nd Corinthians 12 this past week and Paul was sharing about having an illness that caused him problems and going to the Lord and asking for him to remove it from him. Paul calls it a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan that tormented him.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I don’t know what Paul’s physical ailment was but we do know that it caused him hardship enough that he asked God to take it away from him. This caused me to wonder if all of us have something that God gives us as a “hardship”. If it’s not a physical malfunction maybe it’s an emotional or a spiritual one? There have been times in my life when I have definitely felt strong physically and emotionally and spiritually but if I can recall correctly, I’m not sure I had all of them at the same time.
Is it possible that he always allows us to have some sort of struggle so that we never can use an excuse that we don’t need him? This would not be saying that he causes our struggle but he allows it to happen. Being the cause of a problem is much different than just allowing one to be present.
This would be an emotional or spiritual weakness-
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
This would be a physical weakness–
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint
This is the ultimate form of weakness… we cannot save ourselves–
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him
In each of these verses he is offering to us something that we cannot do for ourselves
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
It sounds to me like God wants to be everything we need, everywhere we need it and every time we need something. It’s almost like that old saying being “raised with a silver spoon” That’s always meant that a child never knew want – they had all their needs met – they may have been spoiled or may not have been spoiled but they never had to look for anything – they always had everything that they needed and probably the best of everything. For many of us we definitely look at this at this as being spoiled and that the person would have been better off if they had learned from their struggles and having to work really hard to accomplish what they needed or to get what they needed but in the case of our father in heaven he’s just looking for us to ask. He desires to give us everything we want and need but in his timing. He’s also been known to change the desires of your heart to line up with what his goals for us are! To me it sounds like our God in heaven desires us to be raised with a silver spoon but the silver spoon is him providing for our needs.
So God wants to be your strength, your purpose, your provider, your fulfillment, your direction, your goal.