Day Eleven: Weaknesses, Insults, and Hardships....Oh My

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Lysa opened her devotion today with this scripture and I was taken aback; not because it was the first time I had seen it or simply because Paul wrote it (and we know that he is my bible crush). Today while reading it for easily the hundredth time, I felt a stirring and overwhelming feeling of gratefulness. I have experienced the gift of grace from my parents and from Jesus; a gift I didn’t earn nor deserve…and I do believe wholeheartedly that His grace is sufficient for me BUT, it is what Paul continues on to say that makes me feel unworthy. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel unworthy enough to give it back or not try…but in awe. Let me explain.

Before my relationship with Him I would have read the second part of this scripture VERY differently.

“For Christ’s sake…. Who would say they delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties?”

I always tried to take the easy way out of things. If I tried something and it was too hard for too long, I would stop and try doing something else….and the pattern continued until I found something I was good at and would just stay there; complacent. I can honestly tell you that I never delighted in anything and saw weakness as just that…a weakness. Before finding Jesus I used to judge others based on their appearances; how they dressed, the kind of car they drove, where they lived, and even weight. (Funny coming from a chunky girl, huh?) I never really got along with other women but if I did try to strike up conversations with any for a friendship, it was always based on how they could benefit me; sometimes just being a bigger size than me was enough…just to make me feel thinner and look better standing beside them. It sure was easier to play the “She’s bigger than me” game than it was to make a lifestyle change. I am certain that no one I did this to was delighting in their persecution or insults that soon followed.

Consider these scenarios:

·    You wake up in a full size bed, the other half empty and say: “I’m grateful I’m not married anymore because he chose partying over me”

·    You’re called into Human Resources and informed that you are another person laid off due to the economy. You smile and say “That’s okay; I knew it was a possibility. I’d love to tie up loose ends and finish out the week.”

·    You’re at a neighborhood pub for drinks when you decide to call it a night. Just 2 miles from home you are pulled over for drinking and driving and you say “Thank you for pulling me over officer, I don’t know who I might of injured if you hadn’t.”

·    You go in for a routine mammogram because it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. 8 Days later the Dr. calls you to tell say you have breast cancer. Your response: “Thanks for calling doctor. I look forward to starting chemo, getting sick, shaving my head, and getting my things in order.”

These aren’t situations that anyone wants to go through, nor do we strive to reach them. In fact, I would have to hazard a guess that not many would want any one of these things to happen to them if given the choice and no one would react to them as the scenarios demonstrated. I know that I didn’t when EVERY one of them happened to me.

But…it is all about perspective.

I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus when any of those things happened to me; and that’s not to say that just because I am a Christian, challenges don’t still come up. They do. Granted they are not near the doozies I illustrated above but there are still trials put into my life that I have to deal with. He doesn’t tell us that a relationship with Him will make everything easier but he does promise that he will never leave us regardless of the situation.  

I ask myself…. “If he can get me through all of those trials, how can he NOT help me through something as simple as losing weight and gaining faith in Him?”

There is a reason that each of us goes through what we do. We can’t give Him credit when things are going good and blame him when they are going bad; all is for His purpose no matter how hard it is to see as we are living it. (Like some seeing one image in the clouds on a spring day and others seeing something completely different.)

Because…it is all about perspective.

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12  

These two scriptures were written by Paul AS he was going through the toughest times in his life. He had an easier life when he hated and killed Christians; and was even looked up to for it. After he became an apostle, many plots were made against him, especially by Jews who would stir the crowd and excite them when he was preaching. He was beaten more than once, and put in prison. He was persecuted in every one of his missionary journeys and during his first missionary journey, was nearly stoned to death by Jews for healing a crippled man. He was also put in prison while he was in Philippi and Jerusalem.

Even though Paul was persecuted and had a lot of reason to abandon his cause, he persisted with it.

When it comes to losing weight and being a healthier, happy, better version of yourself… wouldn’t it be great to give Him the glory for something so outwardly noticeable to others? Regardless of circumstances, shouldn’t we persist with it?

This week after I weigh in… when people ask me “How much have you lost?” I can’t wait to share with them just how much I have gained.

This “Made to Crave” bible study isn’t just about taking my life back physically but by giving my life back to the one that created me spiritually.