Earlier this week, in a spirit of camaraderie and wanting to be encouraging, I told a lie. A sister was bemoaning how difficult it was to work full time AND help her son with his online school. She said he only had 2.5 weeks left and I declared, "You got this!"
Ummmm, no, she doesn't "got" it! She had just finished telling us on the other end of the call that it was overwhelming. What she was doing was incredibly difficult and it wasn't sustainable (my paraphrase).
Why did I tell her such a falsehood? I think I was buying into the lie of the world we live in...that when things are difficult, we just need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, give ourselves a good positive pep talk and get after the challenge. Hence the "we got this" mentality. I can find several places in the Bible where being lazy is placed in a negative light, but I can't find anywhere teaching that by relying on oneself a person can muscle through a tough time and bring glory to God. Certainly that person's friends may admire him, but that leads down the slope of pride and arrogance.
We are to be diligent and faithful through difficult seasons and days, but how can we do this when we are so weak/tired/busy/overwhelmed/________________(fill in the blank)?
In the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, he is encouraging them who they are as Christians, how to live, how to relate with others around them and what it means to follow Christ. This is a difficult calling! Towards the end of the letter he gives the secret to actually doing these things, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." (Ephesians 6:10 ESV) What he doesn't say is, "Work really hard and you can do it! You got this, Ephesians!" No! Be strong in the Lord! He's the One Who is strong. Not you or me. We obviously are weak--even though we may try to do some great things and impress our friends along the way.
Bringing Tucker home from the hospital on Sunday I knew that this week would be full of the unexpected and that I'd need to be strong in the Lord. I know that I'd need to take Paul's advice in the verses that follow. I realized that I'd need to, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11 ESV) Realizing something and actually doing it well aren't synonymous. I did it, but got busy and fell back into an unconscious, "we got this" mindset until 5.14.20 came. That changed everything. Now I was visibly reminded just how independent I try to be and exactly how strong I am. I had no strength. I had no wisdom. I had nothing left at one point except for deep sobs of regret that I couldn't seem to get the lesson that I must rely on Christ for everything. As we literally cried out to God during the day of incessant nausea and vomiting, He showed us how utterly dependent we are upon His mercy. His mercy to cover our sin for eternity and His mercy to carry us day by day. I once had a friend in high school tell me that Christianity is just a crutch for weak people. I agree that I am weak. But with Paul, I will say, "But [the Lord] 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." This is not a crutch. This is a reasonable faith in the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of my soul and a ever deepening love. My soul longs to know Him and see others know Him too! "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)
In other words, what would be real encouragement is, **"God's got this!"**
I’m so sorry I fall into the independent trap and would attempt to encourage someone with such a falsehood. Thanks be to God, His Mercy is More! This song is probably one of my all time favorites.
~meredith
Ummmm, no, she doesn't "got" it! She had just finished telling us on the other end of the call that it was overwhelming. What she was doing was incredibly difficult and it wasn't sustainable (my paraphrase).
Why did I tell her such a falsehood? I think I was buying into the lie of the world we live in...that when things are difficult, we just need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, give ourselves a good positive pep talk and get after the challenge. Hence the "we got this" mentality. I can find several places in the Bible where being lazy is placed in a negative light, but I can't find anywhere teaching that by relying on oneself a person can muscle through a tough time and bring glory to God. Certainly that person's friends may admire him, but that leads down the slope of pride and arrogance.
We are to be diligent and faithful through difficult seasons and days, but how can we do this when we are so weak/tired/busy/overwhelmed/________________(fill in the blank)?
In the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, he is encouraging them who they are as Christians, how to live, how to relate with others around them and what it means to follow Christ. This is a difficult calling! Towards the end of the letter he gives the secret to actually doing these things, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." (Ephesians 6:10 ESV) What he doesn't say is, "Work really hard and you can do it! You got this, Ephesians!" No! Be strong in the Lord! He's the One Who is strong. Not you or me. We obviously are weak--even though we may try to do some great things and impress our friends along the way.
Bringing Tucker home from the hospital on Sunday I knew that this week would be full of the unexpected and that I'd need to be strong in the Lord. I know that I'd need to take Paul's advice in the verses that follow. I realized that I'd need to, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11 ESV) Realizing something and actually doing it well aren't synonymous. I did it, but got busy and fell back into an unconscious, "we got this" mindset until 5.14.20 came. That changed everything. Now I was visibly reminded just how independent I try to be and exactly how strong I am. I had no strength. I had no wisdom. I had nothing left at one point except for deep sobs of regret that I couldn't seem to get the lesson that I must rely on Christ for everything. As we literally cried out to God during the day of incessant nausea and vomiting, He showed us how utterly dependent we are upon His mercy. His mercy to cover our sin for eternity and His mercy to carry us day by day. I once had a friend in high school tell me that Christianity is just a crutch for weak people. I agree that I am weak. But with Paul, I will say, "But [the Lord] 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." This is not a crutch. This is a reasonable faith in the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of my soul and a ever deepening love. My soul longs to know Him and see others know Him too! "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)
In other words, what would be real encouragement is, **"God's got this!"**
I’m so sorry I fall into the independent trap and would attempt to encourage someone with such a falsehood. Thanks be to God, His Mercy is More! This song is probably one of my all time favorites.
~meredith
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