Strength In Our Weaknesses

But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent-either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant-because I am slow and hesitant of speech.”  Exodus 4:10

I hated giving presentations in front of my classmates. In the seventh grade, after one knee-knocking report, a friend told me, “You were as white as a ghost.”

In the ninth grade, a teacher called on me, but first admonished the class, “Now, everyone be quiet because Barbara has a soft voice, and we need to hear her.” I wanted to crawl under my seat.

If you know me now, you’re probably wondering how I could be the child in these two instances. I am, but I’m nothing like that now. In fact, my career involves speaking in front of people ALL. OF. THE. TIME. I’ve spoken to groups ranging in size from 3 people to an entire auditorium filled with standing room only.

I got over my fears.  Not quickly, but I did begin to face and deal with those fears by the time I was twenty.

Sometimes, God calls us to tasks we don’t understand, much less want to do. The Bible is full of people like that. Why does God delight in taking us into the uncomfortable? So, He can demonstrate his power through our weakness. People will not doubt the message came from Him when he uses someone in a powerful way that goes against their nature.

Here are some examples:

• Moses
• Simon Peter
• Sarah
• Esther
• Naomi
• Jonah

Who else can you name who found their calling through God’s power rather than their own?

Why Do We Love Superheroes?

Courtesy of Pixabay

Yesterday, I sent my grandchildren to school wearing superhero T-shirts.

Why?

The family of the six-year-old boy killed in the Townville school shooting requested that people attend his funeral in superhero clothing instead of suits and ties. Jacob loved superheroes, and the whole country embraced this idea.  Stores sold out of superhero-themed clothing, and many people wore them as they went about their day, even if they weren’t attending the funeral.

This got me to thinking about why we love superheroes.

Superheroes represent our need for someone who steps in and saves us from the bad guys. A person with supernatural abilities who has a knack of showing up when people need them, kicking the bad guys to the curb, and ensuring we’re safe.

I have good news for you!  He already exists!

• There is someone who is always there.
• There is someone who saves us.
• There is someone who keeps us safe.
• There is someone with supernatural abilities.
• There is someone who people turn to when they desperately need him, and he’s always there.

All we have to do is seek Him and He will be there. In fact, even when we forget to seek Him, He is there.

Who, you ask?

The Holy Trinity:  God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We love superheroes because our souls cry out for someone who provides us this love and safety.

In Isaiah, we see His power and our yearning:

We have a strong city;
    God makes salvation
    its walls and ramparts.
² Open the gates
    that the righteous nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
⁴ Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
    and casts it down to the dust.
⁶ Feet trample it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,
    the footsteps of the poor.

⁷ The path of the righteous is level;
    you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
⁸ Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,^[a]
    we wait for you;
your name and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;
    in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.

Isaiah 26: 1-9

In Psalms, we see how we yearn for Him:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1-2

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2

Is it any wonder that we are fascinated with the idea of a superhero? Our souls know we need Him.

My heart breaks for the family of Jacob Hall, but I’m so glad that he had a savior superhero to bend down and scoop him up in His loving arms and say, “You are safe. You are loved. I am here.”

Never fear, Jesus is always here.

 

Where To Go From Here?

Image courtesy SommaiFreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve devoted most of my posts to revealing the development of my faith through the difficult journey of my life.  Then, in August of last year, my path shifted and this blog had to be put on hold for awhile.

Next week, my posts will continue to tell my story.  If you haven’t read what’s happened in my journey to faith, they are all labeled The Journey.  Just select the link and scroll to the bottom of the posts under that label. From there, you can read the story in order.  What will you find?  My experiences with teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, divorce, single parenting, and chronic illness.  There’s a lot there, and I guess God isn’t through with me yet, which brings up the question:

What’s next?

I hope to conclude with the planned posts for my journey sometime in the first half of this year.  Then, I feel strongly that this blog should focus on my new path:  parenting grandchildren.

If you are a grandparent raising grandchildren, on your own or with your adult children in the house, please comment below or contact me privately through the information page on my website.  I know there are a lot of us raising our grandchildren, so if you are interested in writing an occasional post, answering some survey questions, or sharing your own experiences with me, I want to hear from you!

For those of you not in this situation, I hope you will continue to stay with us on this new journey.  I guarantee you know someone who is raising grandchildren.  You might discover new insights or ways to encourage them.   AND, if you know someone raising their grandchildren, would you share this post with them?  Thank you!