Week 6- "Tug of War"

Hi friends! I hope this post finds you well, but if you're not, that's ok. We're here to do life together- messy, beautiful, wonderful, hard life. I'm in the middle of a very busy season that is not really of my choosing. I'm swamped just trying to maintain necessary life things. On top of that, I stagger under the weight of self-imposed obligations and expectations. I am grateful for my friends who stand with me in prayer and laughter and hugs. I am grateful for how God deals with me gently and helps me lean into his strength. Dan and I were talking the other night about how he's understanding God's grace during this busy time of our life. He said he saw it like a stacked bar graph (see below- you can click the graph to make it larger). We can always operate at 100% but maybe all we have within ourselves is 20%. That's when our faith kicks in and we trust our Father to be the 80% we lack, so His strength can be made perfect in our weakness.

In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, Paul talks about asking God to make him well and deliver him from a messenger of Satan who had given him a physical condition ("thorn in the flesh"). Here is his conversation with God about it: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me," (2 Corinthians 12:8-9, NIV). WHAT?! Boast gladly in my weakness?! Does this sound crazy to anyone else? I want to be well. I want to be whole. I want to be enough. In and of myself. Self-sustaining. But, as with most things, it doesn't work that way in the Kingdom of God. I have to admit my weakness and lean into God's strength so he can display his glory in me. Lately I'm really good at admitting my weaknesses (I guess step one really is awareness), but I'm also really good at sinking in despair, thinking about my inadequacy, crying about how I'm not enough. I stay there, unpack my bags, and forget that I'm supposed to keep looking forward. If I could just look past myself I'd see the eyes of my loving Father, kind and warm. I'd see his arms outstretched, reaching for me. I'd see the scars of the nails and remember he already gave everything for me because he SO loves me (John 3:16). 

You see, Satan loves using our physical exhaustion against us in pursuing intimacy with God. He enjoys when our focus remains on problems, on ourselves, on our weaknesses. Ephesians 6:10-18 reminds us our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil and in order to combat these enemies we must put on the whole armor of God. When unworthiness creeps in, fight it with the Word (Ephesians 2:13-14, NIV). When busyness overwhelms us, fight it with the Word (Psalms 90:12, AMP). When guilt and shame constrain us, fight them with the Word (1 John 1:9, NIV). We have to develop spiritual discipline in order to grow in relationship with God. Relationship has to be nurtured and protected. In John 14:23 Jesus tells us that if we love him and obey His Word then the Father loves us and they will make their home in us. Being with God is a delight not a duty; it's less of a visit and more of a homecoming! Jesus has torn the veil so we can remain in him as He remains in us (John 15:4-5).

Three things for today:

Commit to time with Jesus.

Commit to pray.

Commit to reading the Word.

But not out of obligation. Pray for God to give you the desire to be in his presence, so you can delight in him. We sing a song, I Will Exalt. Without God's presence there's no meaning, without it we're not living. Not to put too fine a point on it, but wow. Such truth. Click here to listen. There's nothing like his presence. Everything else fades away. He alone is worthy of all praise. 

I love you, ladies. You're a treasure and a joy! I pray today you would delight in the Lord and in this beautiful life he has given us.

Love,

Leah

P.S. Sisterhood is now on Instagram (follow us at vlcsisterhood) and Twitter (follow us at @vlcsisterhood)!