Strength in Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:19 "...My power is made perfect in weakness..."  That's one translation- and I must say, a much less confusing or conflicting translation than what I grew up hearing, something about how God's power is made stronger in our weakness.... I always hated the way that made me feel.  I hated that the bible asked us to be weak, made it sound like God glorified in it, that He was rejoicing that we were so powerless....

But now, looking at it, and reading the whole context around 2 Corinth 12:19, I see things a little bit differently:

"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest in me.

I love it.  I LOVE IT! 

But how do you explain this to someone who hasn't felt Christ's Love, who hasn't felt God's power surging through every bit of their being?  How do you say, "I know it sucks right now, and nothing makes sense, but if you trust the Holy Spirit- yes, this invisible mist-of-a-travel-guide, the Spirit will pray for you when you don't know the words!" (Romans 2:26)  How do you explain Faith to someone who feels like the World has slammed the door on their hand, trapping them there with pain throbbing?

I pray.  I pray that the Lord uses their heart as a conduit even if they don't realize it, and that they feel the Spirit moving in them. 

Pray.  Trust that the Holy Spirit knows what prayer you need....

The Pen is Mightier than the Words?

I love to write.  I have something like six different blogs that I write, four of them quite regulary.  I have at least four journals that I am constantly toting around with me and jotting thoughts & notes down, and one is where I dump my entire 'everything'. 

This last weekend I thought I'd push myself and lead the closing prayer at youth group... I prep'd, I wrote down notes from the Sunday readings, referenced the Penitential Act (A), and took notes during the homily- so many things were pointing to exactly what message I wanted to share with the kiddos that night!  When it came time to speak, I completely froze.

Completely. 

Didn't say a SINGLE thing that I wanted to say!!!  Dang it!!!  All the wonderful words I'd worked on for almost a week flew right out of my brain!  *sad face* 

I still trust that something I said was something that somebody in the room needed to hear, because all night I just kept praying that God give me the words to reach people with the message they needed.... but dang.  I was sure disappointed in myself.  I feel like I'm so much more elloquent when I am writing or typing- even though I don't sit and ponder, I just write, even though I don't go back and edit much of what I'm writing or typing.... when I'm speaking, it still sounds good, but it's not usually what I've practiced on paper. 

Still working on the lesson in this.... perhaps my next post will be sharing the words I worked so hard to put together?  Perhaps it will reach one of you, my faithful readers....