Finding Strength for the Hard Things

I am generally a go-getter. I see something that needs to be done, and I push myself until the job is done, especially God things.  That is until I could not do one more thing this week. 

A spirit of unwillingness had crept into my heart, and I was at a loss to get going again.  I was done. No more hard things were stuck on repeat in my head, and I found myself sitting down and unable to move. The words “I don’t want to” were like a heavy cloak draped over my heart, and I could not throw them off.  

I wrestled and dared to ask God some hard questions. I had been taught I serve a big God who can handle anything we bring to Him. So I didn’t sugarcoat any of what lay heavy on my heart. I asked Him, “How can anyone make themselves strong enough?  How do you make yourself courageous enough?  How do you “will” yourself to move when your feet feel like they have been cemented to the floor? How do you make yourself want to do the things you don’t want to do?”

You don’t. And what a powerful thing when you learn that you don’t have to, nor were you ever meant to. 

The strength we really need comes from God. It was never meant to come from you or me. 

Sometimes this girl with her go-get-’em personality has to be reminded of that. 

God perhaps occasionally lets me run out of steam on purpose to remind me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” I took note. He never said once that I was made strong enough by anything resembling “me.”

I realized again that I need His strength to do life, not mine. Mine is temporary and uncertain, and most days, when I face the hard stuff, I quickly find that mine isn’t enough.  

I need the kind of strength that can move heavy stones.  

The kind you can heat seven times hotter, and you will still find it to be fireproof.  

The kind that makes your feet keep walking on the water when the waves are over your head. 

The kind that can endure days on end in the prison places of life and still come out with your sanity intact. 

The kind that defines death itself and lives to tell the story another day. 

Simply, the kind that the Holy Spirit is famous for and stands ready to impart to those who ask. And friend, I went to God asking.

Sometimes we can muster up enough courage and strength on our own, but sometimes we all face those things when we can’t. 

Knowing I have a place to go when I am flat-out empty, spent, and undone is good.  I am glad God doesn’t scold us for needing Him. Instead, He stands ready to welcome us with loving arms.

We can put expectations on ourselves that God never intended.  He knew I was running into a dead-end, and His great love let me run right smack dab into it this week.  Because at the end of myself, He knew I would be running into Him. 

We never are too old to learn something new or return to the table to remember things we have already learned and forgotten. One great thing I am entertaining again is one of my favorite scriptures. “He is the author and finisher of my faith.”  (Hebrews 12:2)

There will always be some things that will fall under His job description, not mine. This one I can rest in, even on the days I have no idea what to do and not enough strength on my own to get assignments completed, He can. It is my job to do my best to be obedient, and the rest falls to Him.  

First, I set up communion.  A trip back to the cross is always the best place to start.  

Then, I spent time journaling my prayers and reading God’s word. Conversations with God are underrated. It is the best soul care on the market and doesn’t cost you a dime. 

At a time, I felt like I was out of strength for seemingly hard tasks ahead, just like God to let me sit in stillness first. I make things harder on myself than they have to be. God reminded me that I don’t have to be in a hurry, either. Doing life with Jesus is an eternity-kind-of -thing. We have lots of time allotted to spend time at His feet. 

So if you are like me and finding yourself at a loss for strength, I know where you can find all you need. And while there, you will also have the strength to kick your unwillingness to the curb too. 

See you in the field, 

Susan