End of The Rope Reliance

Everyone has a different breaking point. Maybe you’ve reached yours at one time or another, but even if you haven’t, I bet you know how hard it is when life is like a relentless  series of major waves crashing down on you until you can hardly catch your breath. Like everything that COULD attack you, is. The horrible things all happen simultaneously, and you reach the end of your rope.

I found myself there yesterday. I’ll spare you the details, but over the last few weeks, those “waves” have continued build and assail me. Short of financial and marriage troubles, I was absolutely drowning in nearly ALL of my personal nightmare scenarios at once.

This is when my brain screams TRUTH! I need it. The word of God is called “living” for a reason!

I remembered that 2 Corinthians 1, talks emphatically about “the God of all comfort.” It mentions the word comfort something like 18 times in that chapter alone…

I needed some comfort in that moment, so that was where I needed to go.

Paul agonizes over suffering and burdens that weighed him down so much, he despaired even of life. He considered himself to be sentenced to death.

(Ok so maybe I get that my struggles aren’t THAT bad. Thankfully no one is trying to beat me, stone me or run me out of town yet.)

AND then Paul gives the reason that he went through this trial:

“But that was so that we wouldn’t rely on our own strength, but on that of the God who raises people from the dead.”

God is powerful. He doesn’t want us to mistakenly trust ourselves, when we really need HIM.

My struggles, our struggles, are nothing but a GIFT to make us realize we cannot, should not attempt to live this life in our own strength.

Little daily challenges, or life-shattering heartbreaks show us where we are unable to continue, and THAT is where true life happens by the Spirit.

This truth is basic, but profound. Don’t wait for all hell to break loose before calling on the Spirit to be everything you need.