Is it all just too much sometimes?
I felt that way back in January as I was preparing to launch my new talk for The Marriage Project. you may remember that the day before I was to present that talk for the first time, our row of townhouses caught on fire.
After being relieved that everyone was OK, my next thought was, “How am I going to finish this speech?” (Now if you’re thinking, “Wow, it is the day before your speech and everything is not neatly wrapped up, printed, and put into a labeled folder?” Well, you and I can’t be friends.)
The night before, I called in the cavalry. I wrote to a bunch of my speaker friends and asked for prayer.
And they prayed. Oh how they prayed.
I went and spoke and it was a Jesus-is-the-only-one-who-could-pull-it-off kind of morning.
After speaking, two people booked Roger and I to come and speak at their groups. Right while I was standing there. Several women came up and talked to me about how the message hit them right where they were struggling in their own marriages. It was a morning that only our Maker could pull off.
When I reported this back to my prayer peeps, my friend (and fellow Harvest House author) Cindi McMenamin sent me and my fellow speakers this reply:
Kathi (and her praying friends):
Your experience paralleled what I read this morning from J.I. Packer’s “Rediscovering Holiness”: “The Pattern is that the Lord first makes us conscious of our weakness so that our heart cries out, “I can’t handle this.” We go to the Lord to ask him to remove the burden that we feel is crushing us. But Christ replies: “In my strength you can handle this, and in answer to your prayer, I will strengthen you to handle it.” Thus in the end our testimony, like Paul’s is: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” …For only at the point where the insufficiency of natural strength is faced, felt, and admitted does divine empowering begin.”
God was truly strong in your weakness. Way to go, girl. Way to go, God!
Love, Cindi
Doesn’t that just kill you?
“For only at the point where the insufficiency of natural strength is faced, felt, and admitted does divine empowering begin.”
Do you feel ashamed of your weakness? Of your feelings of being overwhelmed? I need to recognize and face my insufficiency every single day, admit it and ask God for His empowerment.
What area do you need to feel His strength today?
Kathi,
What a blessing this post is! Thank you. I have already forwarded to others to encourage them, also.
Love all my cybery friends! Praying for each of you as you live in the inadequate!
* After my husband moved out, there is so much to do
I am feeling that now. After my husband moved out here is so much to do now that he gave our landlord a 30 day notice. I am just sitting here frozen, ready to cry, not knowing where to start.I think it is the separating of our children’s clothes between their 2 new homes that is killing me.
Lord, let me recognize and face my insufficiency every single day, admit it and ask You for Your Glorious empowerment.
Oh my word how I needed this today! I was just thinking how badly I needed something, ANYthing today as I felt I was being pulled under by stress and being overwhelmed. Then there on Facebook was your link to this and the question “Feeling overwhelmed?” Why yes! How did you know! 😉 Facing a week as the only driver for my family of 5 and a schedule that gets fuller minute by minute I am not sure whether to cry or scream or run. Maybe all three. I so needed to hear this today.
Oh and the last time I spoke to an audience (as opposed to on my soapbox to my family who could care less) I forgot my talk and visual aides at home. *gasp* Thankfully I emailed the talk to myself but because I didn’t have my visual aides I had to rework my talk and rewrite part of it moments before going on in a tiny side-room. It turned out better than I could have hoped. 🙂
Kathi,
Wow! What a powerful post. Thank you!! That quote is definitely going on an index card and will be carried around for awhile.
Your prayer swap this weekend was a huge blessing to me. My weaknesses glare in this pursuit to write. Thanks for your encouragement.
Marla – I knew we were meant to be friends from the start. This just confirms it!
Yep – my weakness is rich ground for God to work big.
Oh, Kathi. We can still be friends. 🙂 Because I’ve been known to be sitting in my hotel room at 2am, literally cutting and taping pieces of a talk (that I’m giving at 9am) in order.
And I’m telling you, it is RARE that I’m getting ready to speak and feel confident that it’s going to go well and that my life is lovely and in order.
God gets the HUGEST KICK out of using my weaknesses.
Love you!!