In My Weakness, He Makes Me Stronger

Paul the Apostle was afflicted by something, physically to keep him from becoming conceited or proud. In 2 Corinthians 12:8, he states, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.” The Lord’s answer was “No”, but He gave Paul the reason along with it in verse 9,
“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 on me.”

Recently, I too have been afflicted physically and have been unable to post anything on my blog. I received a blessing along with an affliction. I had the blessing of welcoming my daughter into the world and couldn’t be happier, as a Mother. Along with the blessing of having another child, I am afflicted with a condition that has prevented me from being able to walk. At the hospital, I was expecting my Doctor to say it would go away in a week or so, but her answer was “one to three months.”

My reaction was being in shock. I didn’t have any idea exactly what that would look like until I got home. It hit me that I couldn’t attend to my family, except for barely getting to the bathroom and feeding my newborn. Along with going through postpartum, I was now at an all time low. I was given a wheelchair and a walker and was told I would have Home Physical Therapy for 6 weeks when I was discharged from the hospital.

I prayed for a miracle and didn’t receive the instant healing. I admit my physical situation led me to many tears filled with fear and frustration because I couldn’t see the light at the end of this affliction. I was confounded to a recliner and received some more bad news just days later. I had been given strong medication for my pain, but would have to stop the medication once my breast milk came in, which was 3 days later. I then had to use over the counter pain medication that didn’t quite relieve the horrible pain I was in, but had to bare it.

I had everything ready for when we would arrive home and because I couldn’t walk, I was stuck downstairs. I had to completely depend upon my husband, Mother and children. I had to process this and would need them to tend to my Father as well as each other.

I have to say that I questioned God as to why He would allow this, when He knows how much my family needs me. I couldn’t even hold my child (standing up) because of the excruciating pain I was in. I was barely able to take tiny steps with a walker. Why, Lord? The Lord was showing me that this was to test my faith and strengthen me physically and spiritually.

The Lord was telling me that often He brings affliction with blessings. This is when He brought to mind the Apostle Paul and his own experience. Paul had been shown many revelations from God and had seen Jesus Himself, appear to him! Yet, God knew his heart and knew that he would need to be kept humble, lest he revert to his old self, again.

As I write this, I am healing slowly and have been seeking the Lord through this. We have managed, but the process has been the most difficult physical trial I have had to endure. I am trusting in God’s timing and know this is temporary, but I have an even greater heart for anyone that is bed bound and completely dependent upon someone else. All the little things have become really big things. It’s actually how my baby and I relate now.

The Lord directed me to the verse in Jeremiah 17:7-8, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

This is where the Lord wants me to be and anyone reading this to be. Despite our worst trials and fears, we will be blessed and spiritually strong because our roots are deep in His waters of life. Even when something comes in this physical world, we remain rooted in the truth and the life, whom is Christ Jesus our Lord. If you find yourself experiencing affliction along with a blessing, know that there is a spiritual lesson to be learned. Ask the Lord to show you what He is wanting to reveal to you. May this bless you abundantly and thank you for reading this post.