Lacking Strength

by Maressa Mortimer

Psalm 73:26, 2 Corinthians 12:9

February can be a tricky month, I find. January is full of new beginnings and I love starting things. People seem still full of the whole Christmas spirit, or maybe it’s chocolate fuelled energy? Greetings are enthusiastic, new classes started and bright ideas set up.

Then February hits and it shows up all the difficulties. That brilliant plan? Didn’t quite work out as there were no backers. The new class that seemed so promising was not quite what we expected. And keeping an exercise routine going is a lot harder than printing off a new schedule and doing the first few workouts.

Many things in life are harder than the label on the tin made us believe. The expression of your heart sinking is such an apt one, isn’t it? When disappointment hits, you can just feel your heart sliding down a little lower in your body and everything feels heavy.

A lot is said about rabbits this month. They seem so weak and maybe it’s the way they look at us, but we think of them as frail. They’re a lot stronger than we think though and can be very persistent. So many friends who kept rabbits complained about the time they managed to escape. Weak, yes. But persistent and gaining their freedom through that, even if for a short time.

Compared to rabbits, we are much more able. But is lacking strength a bad thing? Yes, we like strength, and there are a lot of people who devote every free moment to building their strength, going to great lengths. It makes me cringe when I’m in the gym, lifting the four kg dumbbells out of the rack, only to see the next person reach down low and grab 20kg. Feeling definitely weak and embarrassed. But I tell myself it’s not about how much I lift. It’s not that kind of strength we need, unless you need some building work done. It’s strength of character, strength of your soul and your relationship with God that matters. It’s realising that you’re a finite being, leaning on the arm of Almighty God. It’s knowing we are not alone in our struggles. I used to teach, and when working with the four and five year olds during training, I loved seeing the trust on their little faces when they handed me their beakers, to open the lids. There was no way they could do it themselves, but they trusted me to open the lid without fail.

It’s my prayer for you this month that you will not feel discouraged, but that you’ll be able to go out in God’s strength and experience a wonderful month.

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.