Stronger? / Weaker?

Stronger? / Weaker? by KCT

I recently read a poster that said, "You are stronger than you think.

That may sound like a great word of encouragement, but in reality, I am not stronger than I think. I am actually weaker.

To believe I am stronger is to continue in a habit I have been trying to break for decades: Relying on myself.

I already believe that I can do more than I can actually do.
I already try to do everything myself, believing that I can.

But the reality is that I simply can’t do everything.

I can’t be the mom I want to be. I can’t be the missionary I want to be. I can’t be the wife I want to be. I can’t be the leader I want to be. I just can’t.

No, I am weaker than I think.

Jesus is stronger.

The Word says, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world," 1 John 4:4.

He is the one who is able (Ephesians 3:20-21).
It is Jesus who parents our children best.
It is Jesus who is what my husband/wife needs.
It is Jesus who is the greatest missionary.
It is Jesus who leads without fault.

It is Jesus.

Me? I’m just clay.

It is my arrogance that leads me to believe that I can do any of those things on my own.

Jesus is stronger in me and I can be strong enough for the task He takes me to only when I allow Him to be strong in and through me.

I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:14)

The strength I have to do what the Lord has called me to do doesn’t come from me. There is no “pulling myself up by my bootstraps” kind of situation.

No, it is only through Jesus.

It is when the word of God abides in me that I am strong. It is Jesus’ strength that allows me the ability to do what I am tasked by the Lord to do.

And this brings me to my knees. Daily. Sometimes hourly. Because I am not strong. I am weak.

But Jesus is strong.

Thank God, Jesus is stronger than I am and He is stronger than the enemy I face. With Him, I can do all things.

As the old saying goes, "If the Lord takes you to it, He will lead you through it."