It’s been one of those weeks.
I know you’ve all had them–those weeks when we feel pulled a million different directions, we run like crazy all day, and then we finish the day wondering if we did it well. That was my week.
Struggling all week trying to figure out if my priorities were in line, if my focus was in the right place, if I was doing what I was supposed to do and if I was doing it well, I finished the week tired and questioning. Did God really call me to crazy?
I am pretty sure He didn’t, but looking at the pile of laundry on my couch and the toys covering the floor, you might very well wonder. I did.
Truth be told, we all know I did not do everything right this week, nor will I do it all right in the coming week. Sometimes my priorities are out of whack, I step into things that are not things I am supposed to do, I get distracted by pointless attention-grabbers, and I lose focus on what is right in front of me. Sometimes I do all of these within five minutes.
Sitting and sulking this morning was an option. I could have spent time replaying the entire week, figuring out what I could have done differently or simply wallowing in self-pity because I never seem to do it right. But I woke up this morning to something that changed everything.
It wasn’t a new thing, nor was it something I had lost. It wasn’t something I had to put kids in the car to go get, nor was it something tangible to hold. I woke up this morning to the same thing I wake up to every day. The same thing you wake up to as well.
Today, I woke up to grace.
The yesterday I thought was going to do me in? The five million mistakes I am sure I made in less than two days? The answer is grace.
This one word changes everything. It bring peace, hope, joy, and contentment. It wipes away fear, self-pity, and sadness. Grace says, “You are loved and cherished. You are my child and you are beautiful the way I made you. Your weaknesses, struggles, and imperfections can bring heartache or they can bring Me glory. You choose.”
Today, I choose to bring Him glory, not because I am good at everything, I have it together, or my life is easy, but because He can still use me. Paul reminded us of this in 2 Corinthians. Remember when he was talking to God about the thorn in his side and wanted so much for God to take it away? I feel like my time management and struggle with priorities are just like that sometimes. Mine is not a physical struggle, but a struggle nonetheless. Paul got his answer from God, but it wasn’t what he expected. Here it is:
“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
His grace is sufficient for me. And those weaknesses? Well, they just give me a chance to point to my Jesus. Should I accomplish anything in his life, should I ever be used by Him in any way, it is only by His power and grace in me. Nothing more.
If you are struggling with this very thing today, I would encourage you with some words from Hebrews:
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time“ (Hebrews 4:14-16).
We have a Savior who intercedes for us, understands what we are walking through, and says “Come to Me.” May we sit at His feet and find grace. For all those shortcomings, distractions, and not-good-enoughs, may we be overwhelmed with grace. It is those moments of weakness and struggle that we step to the side and point to Jesus. We need those moments.
What are you struggling with today? How has God used you even in moments of weakness? What “failures” has God taken and redeemed for His glory?
Praying our hearts wake up once again to the reminder of grace.
Kori Yates loves adventure and her ongoing stint as an Army wife has given her just that. Desiring to bring together Christian military women and impact a globe for Christ, she has helped launch Planting Roots. Through events live and online, their prayer is for revival among military women. Kori is also an author (Olive Drab Pom-Poms) and speaker, as well as a homeschooling mom of two amazing kids and wife to one awesome Soldier.
