"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
I think this is one of the most important verses in the Bible, because it contains the promise that God will give us the power to get through anything life throws at us. ALL things. Wow. That is a big commitment.
Life is messy. Everyone struggles. Sometimes the problems are large. Job loss, health issues, marital failure, children gone astray, death of a loved one. It is easy to identify those challenges, and even to recognize that we need support.
But small struggles are often the ones that knock us flat. A fender bender. Sick kids. Broken bones and migraines. Hurt feelings. Wounded pride. They push us from our regular life into chaos, and it causes us personal grief. We often don't call on God in those situations, because we think the problems are too small. Too insignificant. Too silly. And yet, a slowly leaking boat will still eventually sink.
Whether big or small, these are the things that are concerning us, that keep us focused inward on ourselves, that interfere with the life of thanksgiving, service and love that God wants from us. How we handle those moments defines us, as people, and as believers. Finding the strength and the courage to overcome whatever life throws at us is rooted in the faith of the One who strengthens us at all times, and in all things. Satan rejoices when we are turned away from God's power of reconciliation and love. His win is our loss.
Whether our trials are big or small, they are important to us, and they are important to God. I have often said, I find God at the end of my rope. When we are in the most fragile of places, holding on with our fingernails, God will show up, every single time.
While some people find meaning in giving something up for Lent, that has never resonated for me. God sent his Son, my Savior, as a gift to me. In the Lenten season, therefore, it seems more appropriate to me to focus on what I have been given because of his gift.
Several years ago, I began writing my 40 Days of Gratitude as a way to do just that, and it has been a positive way for me to reflect on the Lenten journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter (which is actually 46 days, if you count Sundays, but who is counting?) I have shared these thoughts, not to hold myself up as an example or authority of how faith should be "done," but rather, to travel the faith life together. I hope that you will find some peace and comfort in my faltering steps, and feel less alone, as you journey with me to the cross.
That being said, this year I am going to do something a little different. Instead of randomly picking something for which I am grateful each day, I want to focus my journey of gratitude more specifically on the tribulations that God has allowed to come into my life. It is often difficult to see the benefit in the moment, but each obstacle has opened my eyes and strengthened my faith in unexpected ways. I want to be intentionally grateful for each roadblock that has come into my life, because those re-directions have resulted in the faith, and the life, I have today.
We are all sinners, and we are all in need of God's strengthening. Let us ponder together the mysterious ways of God's presence in our lives, and be grateful for the moments which bond us closer to Him.
Welcome to this year's journey to the cross. The first post will be on Ash Wednesday, March 1.
No comments:
Post a Comment