May 19, 2014

a new print // a suffering accepted


the last couple of months have been so hard - i've never felt so physically weak and mentally exhausted in my life - but as i'm nearing the 10th week of this trial, i don't think i've ever been so spiritually inspired. i've never depended so much on God, on His word, on communication with Him before - and when i read this quote, i felt such a sense of encouragement wash over me. 

i've struggled through tears of frustration and anxiety and stress, feeling not only weak physically, but weak spiritually - feeling like something was wrong with me because i was struggling. shouldn't i be stronger than this? shouldn't i be filled with peace, complete with a smile on my face? 

isn't that the misconception of Christianity? that we're supposed to be strong and brave all the time, charging each trial with confidence, happily giving thanks all the while. when i look to scripture, with all the stories and examples of lives given to God - i don't see a bunch of perfectly confident, perfectly strong, continually happy people... right? 

sure, david ran towards goliath with his tiny sling shot, and moses stood before pharaoh to free the israelites, and peter walked on water, and i don't know of anyone that preached Christ more boldly than paul.... but when i look at their lives, they all struggled - just read a handful of psalms and you'll see how much david struggled with worry and fear, or read exodus to see how moses struggled with frustration and anger, or read that peter struggled with doubt and self-preservation, or about paul's physical weakness that he desperately wanted to be delivered from - he prayed several times for God to take it away, and i'm so glad he did because this verse has been a lifeline - 

"and He said to me, 'My grace is enough for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' so then, i will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me."  
[2 corinthians 12:9]

it's not their strengths that made these people great and inspiring - it was their weaknesses - their perseverance in weakness, that made their stories epic because God infused His perfect strength into them. only when we're weak can we truly experience God's strength and power.... so He chooses us in our weakness! 

weakness is the key to experiencing His strength. without weakness, our faith wouldn't be exercised and hope would be a distant notion. without weakness, we wouldn't recognize our need for Him, and knowing that, my heart can accept suffering not as something gone wrong, but as something that allows me to experience His amazing strength.

7 comments:

  1. Your words are so inspiring!! And the print is gorgeous. I really hope you feel a little stronger soon, friend. xoxo

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    1. lucy! thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement! xo :)

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  2. I love reading your blog - such wonderful words of wisdom, really a source of encouragement for us all!

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  3. Hi! Just wanted to stop by and say hello! I blog over at Endlessly Beloved. I'm currently in Great Falls and I've really been wanting to connect with other Montana bloggers! Love your blog and your work!

    xoxo
    Brianna
    www.endlesslybeloved.com

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    1. hi brianna! thanks so much for connecting with me! i'd love to get together sometime... and i'll be checking out your blog too. :) thanks so much! xo

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  4. Lots of love to you Ashley <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

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