Strength in Weakness: Confessions

"Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.  The things you're most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, and most reluctant to share are the very tools God can use most powerfully to heal others." --Rick Warren

Well, thanks, Mr. Warren.  I've crafted a comfortable little hidey-hole where I share just enough of my personal life so as not to impart too much information, combined with whatever inspirational thought God gave me for the day that I feel I should share to relate to said tidbit of personal life.  I know I'm supposed to put myself out there.  I know that.  But allow me just a little moment of whiny-ness to stomp my foot and say, "I don't wanna!"

*stomp*

*whine*

Okay, I'm done.

Look, the truth is, every single one of us is flawed.  When we pretend to be perfect, we're nothing more than hypocrites.  I know that, you know that.  If you've read this blog for more than week, you'll realize I say it all the time.  God loves us not just in spite of our flaws, He loves us because of them.  It's in our weaknesses that His strength shines through the most.  It's in our worst moments of sobbing and the gut-wrenching realizations that we're not in charge and we screw things up wholeheartedly when we try to be that His grace shines through and we're made whole in Him.  So why would I be hesitant to bare my soul?  He already knows every nanosecond of my life anyhow, it's not like I'm hiding anything from Him.

We like the illusion.  We cling to the misguided notion that we can hide something, anything, from Him just by not talking about it with anyone else.  But the thing is, He wants us to talk about it.  He doesn't want a spectacle made, but He wants us to help other people through their trials and tribulations by sharing ours.  How can anyone be made to feel better?  By hearing that they're not alone.  Someone who has just gone through a great loss through death, a great betrayal, a great disappointment, an earth-shattering realization -- how are they ever to cope?  By commiserating with people who have already been through it and lived to tell the tale.

So it's time, isn't it?  Time to stop hiding, or attempting to hide?  Time to drop to our knees and pray, "Give the the strength to share my fears and failures with others, so that Your glory can be revealed."  Time to stop trying to fool ourselves into forgetting we're not perfect, and letting our imperfections be our ministry?

Are you afraid?  Don't be.

"I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, 'Don't be afraid.  I will help you.'" -- Isaiah 41:13.  

Stay tuned.

Stephanie Jean