“Be strong. Stay strong.”
“You can do this. You can handle anything.”
“I'm strong. I know my limits.”
“I can handle this. I can do anything I put my mind to.”
“We are powerful. We can do anything. We are worth it.”
Sometimes I feel like this is the anthem of our
generation. It’s splashed across TV ads and Facebook pages. Some form of it is
the creed of most health based or counselling companies. Everywhere I turn,
someone or something is there to remind me, that I just need to stay strong,
because I am strong…and don’t forget it!
Do these statements cause you to feel motivated, inspired
or uplifted? I don’t doubt that they are well intentioned, or that there is
kindness behind them, but, to me, they are empty and I cannot take any hope
from them.
The thing is, I know myself, my foolish pride, the lust
of my heart and my vast and crushing weakness.
When I am at a breaking point, or am testing how close I
can get to a certain temptation, what I want, what I desperately long to hear
is the truth; the truth, which brings far greater hope than the feeble might of
my own strength.
So, what is the truth about me?
It is this: that, “the heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately sick”; that when left to my own strength, I am, “lured
and enticed” by my own desires (James 1:14). The Bible reminds me that, “the
flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41); that “no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh”
(Rom. 7:18).
I am not strong enough! You are not strong enough. We will fall every time. We will crack and break and give in to
doubt, fear and sin. We are “desperately sick” and “utterly wicked”. There is
no inner good or hidden quality in ourselves to muster up when the world comes crashing
down. Furthermore, there is no sparkling goodness in us that deserves a rescue
either, yet………
Blessed be the
Lord!
For he has heard
the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The Lord is my
strength and my shield;
In him my heart
trusts, and I am helped;
My heart exults,
And with my song I
give thanks to him.
(Psalm 28:6-7)
He gives strength
to the weary,
and to him who
lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow
weary and tired,
And vigorous young
men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait
for the Lord
Will gain new
strength;
They will mount up
with wings like eagles,
They will run and
not get tired,
They will walk and
not become weary.
(Isaiah 40:29-31)
“For, I will
satisfy the weary soul,
and every
languishing soul I will replenish.”
(Jeremiah 31:25)
Couldn't you just cry with joy at the hope and the
compassion in these verses?!?
Life is hard. I know this. I've experienced it. On top of that, the desire to sin is ever
present. But, if we are honest with ourselves, we will see that putting on a
happy face or repeating to ourselves that we are worth it is not the same as
having real strength.
This Lord of the Rings conversation has been rolling
around in my head:
“It is in men we must place our hope.” - Gandalf
“Men? Men are weak.” – Lord Elrond
And it’s true. Men are weak. But God?
His “grace is
sufficient for you”, His “power is
made perfect in weakness.”
(2 Corinthians
12:9-10)
The Sovereign Lord
is my strength;
He makes my feet
like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go
on the heights.
(Habakkuk 3:19)
The next time you are tempted or discouraged or
frightened, my friend, cry out to Jesus.
He who is never far off will be your refuge, your hiding
place and your strength.
I pray that out of
his glorious riches
He may strengthen you
with power through His Spirit
In your inner
being.
(Ephesians 3:16)
Now that is
something to take heart in.
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