Strength

I apologize for the late post. I'm still trying to get the hang of blogging that requires actual blogging on a weekly basis again. Plus, when life gets hard, remembering to update social media becomes the least of your worries until times like this – you know, when the caffeine surging through your veins from an earlier coffee run keeps you awake at night.

I'm sure you also know the feeling when a certain part of a conversation is stuck in your head, and you just can't get it out, no matter how hard you try. I'm having that problem right now. Earlier tonight, Morgan, Kerry, and I were discussing how delicate the human mind really is. The human brain is essentially a mushy supercomputer in one's head, yet in one fell swoop, it can cease to function normally and throw a person's entire life into chaos. We are walking contradictions, and God created us in such a way that is far too complicated and intentional for any other means of our creation to be even remotely as plausible.

We are capable of doing so much on this earth because God gave us permission to do so in Genesis 1:28 – "And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Yet we are still dependent on Him because we are merely a fallen, broken people, and He is perfect and sinless. We need Christ to show us through Scripture and faith that His eternal love and his sacrifice on the cross is the reason why we are here today, standing strong as we share the Gospel with the world.

Sometimes, I forget that humans are weaker than they actually seem, but I am reminded every day that I cannot do anything by myself. I am still coming to terms with the idea of not having autonomy, even after becoming legally able to not depend on anyone but myself anymore. Independence has always been a huge aspiration of mine, and knowing that I, as a Christian, am not capable of it... it was a big blow to my ego, to put it bluntly.

But in the times in which I remember that I am not as strong as I think I am, there is a relief as well. One particular time stands out that happened just recently.

I went to Fairhope, Alabama for spring break with a few of my friends, and on our last night there, we went to the bay near Erica's house. The sun had set just hours before, and most of us had walked out to the edge of the pier overlooking the water, the lights of Mobile gleaming in the distance. We were standing around, taking in the beautiful scene – dark water reflected by the moon in the star-specked sky – when I looked down at my feet and noticed that someone had written a Bible verse on the pier just a few days before:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

My heart felt like it had skipped a beat when I read the verse. For the past couple of months (and even now), i'd been feeling overwhelmed with various problems, and to see those words in front of me felt like a sign. I needed to remember who gave me a purpose on this earth that cannot be fulfilled on my own. I need the grace of God to give me the strength to do everything that I want and need to do.

It's not an immediate solution to my struggle, but it is an improvement towards my own betterment as a Christian. I need God because he gives me strength through His love.

- Sara