When I Am Weak...

Lately I have been thinking a lot about being weak and caring for the weak. This is because of my beautiful daughter-in-law, Melissa, pictured above. She is a very smart, helpful, take charge person. But for the last few weeks, she has been helpless. Bedbound and unable to walk or sit, and awaiting spinal surgery next week. Throughout her extremely painful ordeal, she has not whined, but has continued to be patient and concerned for others. A good example of the saying that it is not your circumstances that define you, but how you react to them. She is weak, but has been made strong, as God told Paul in 2 Cor.12, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul then goes on to say “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me….I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, In persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Here is what my commentary has to say about this. When we are strong in our abilities, we are tempted to do God’s work on our own. When we are weak, we allow God to fill us with his power, and then we are stronger than we could ever be on our own. I have no doubt that Melissa will come out of this stronger than ever, but it will be a better kind of strength, one filled with even more understanding and thanks. Going through something like this has the potential us make us all much better, if we let it. The book of Ezekiel says “I will strengthen the weak, but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” One of the things that God wants us to do during our short stay here is take care of the weak and needy. The Bible even tells us to “rescue” them. It not only helps others who are unfortunate, but God blesses us when we do this, and it shows a good example. It is a big part of our goal to be more Christlike as we go through this life. As for our own trials, we have the choice to let them make us bitter or better. Which would you rather be?