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 12:10 (NIV)
When I washed a new blouse I’d only worn twice and it fell apart, so did I. In tears, I called my husband, Kevin. “We’re leaving for our trip in six days, and I have forty-five things on my plate this week. I can’t take time to return this,” I said, wailing. True to the meaning of his name—kindness—Kev assured me that he would help get everything done. When I apologized for acting like a baby, he simply said, “It’s okay.”
I tried to argue with him. Shouldn’t I be strong all the time, no matter what kind of pressure I’m under? Since I’m an author of devotional books, an inspirational speaker and pastor’s wife, meltdowns shouldn’t be part of my life—at least when it’s something as insignificant as a blouse gone south. But Kevin wasn’t buying my unrealistic notions of “should be.” My husband realizes I am human, which means I have limits. Both he and Jesus make allowances for those days when I’m anything but strong.
Times of stress make us aware of how much we need Jesus’s grace and power. We’re desperate for His help, so we lean on Him more than we do on a carefree day. The truth is, we need Jesus during the seasons we feel like a warrior as much as we do when we’re basket cases. When we confess our dependence on Him, He’s more than willing to help.
Annie Hawks and Robert Lowry wrote a hymn in the 1800s that says, “I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee.” Let’s change that to every moment.
Faith Step: Look up the words to the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour” and sing or say them aloud to Jesus.
