Personal Strength

“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father… encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16a, 17

We humans are the only “animal” given to self-examination. The more conscious of our true self we are, the more mature we are likely to become. Our language is funny, though, because we call someone “self-conscious” if they are shy or concerned about how others may respond to their words or actions.

Followers of Christ have an exquisite aid in this whole are of Self Consciousness. Of all people, we should be the most able to admit areas of our heart that are troublesome or weak in some way. Many of life’s frustrations arise from relating to people who cannot see their own shortcomings, though they are quite visible to everyone else.

The reason this ought to be a less grueling task for a follower of Christ is that the disciple has the assurance that, whatever the failing, it is completely forgiven once acknowledged. I should restate that. Theologically all sin, confessed or not, is already forgiven. Every sin on the planet was forgiven in the single act of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It is the “experience” of forgiveness we have once we acknowledge our shortcomings and sins.

For me, that is the single most important aspect of my walk with Christ. Though I still struggle with the stubbornness that insists I am either right or unmarred, I find it easier to do because I know God accepts me. And, not only does He accept me, but the act of admitting my failings actually opens the inner life up to the healing of God’s forgiveness.

Not only do we enjoy the sweet forgiveness of Christ, but we have His encouragement and strength available to us as well. Instead of despairing of ever overcoming my stubbornness, I can receive God’s encouragement firsthand. Verses like this amaze me, they truly do. “May the Lord Jesus Himself and God our Father” encourage and strengthen. It would be enough if it said, “May Jesus give you encouragement.” But, instead, the most intimate expression is used, telling us the Jesus and the Father themselves are encouraging and strengthening us.

We make no headway in either denying our sins or acting as if inner change is a piece of cake for us. If it were all that easy, we wouldn’t need either the encouragement or the strength of God. Change is difficult. Honesty ourselves will highlight how true that is. And, if we have difficulty with self-admission, a marriage of five years or more provides the perfect mirror for our souls. Each year a negative behavior persists is a year our spouse can attest how hard it is for us to change.

We miss a great deal about our relationship with God, though, if we make this all about perceived weakness and the struggle to correct them. We need God’s direct encouragement and strength even when we are at our absolute best. The world around us provides quite enough reason to call on God for power and hope.

I struggle with depression, and have since as long as I can remember. I didn’t know enough to call it “depression” until in my 40s. I confessed, rebuked, read books, sang praise songs, begged prayer, fasted, and confessed and rebuked and confessed some more. The last 20 years have helped me to grasp that depression is not a spiritual pitfall, nor the consequence of sin. In my case it is about an actual disease, coupled, I am sure, with childhood experiences.

I share this because, smack dab in the middle of writing this piece, I got an email from a fellow sufferer who also is a pastor. He is one of the sweetest men you would ever meet, and possesses a jolly sense of humor as well. It wasn’t until I moved halfway across the country from him that I knew he struggled with depression as well.

He simply wanted me to know that he understood how difficult it is to rise every morning, given the emotional load of depression. He knows, because he suffers too. He said that many people do not understand it because they cannot see inside our minds. (How true, my dear brother). Then he told me he was praying for me today and to make sure I shared with him if I happened upon the grand fix for our shared mental illness. Ah, that may be a while.

He didn’t know, living 1500 miles away, that just moments before I had been telling God that I was done. Nothing seemed to be working. So you can see how irrational this disease is, our church has been in a beautiful season of growth; new people, children, babies, and testimonies of how God is changing their lives. Yet, today, two days after a beautiful service of worship, I’m throwing in the towel.

God understands and He prompted my dear friend to drop me a note. If we will only be attentive we will observe the ways God is faithful to encourage our hearts and strengthen us for everything we do and say. Mental or physical challenges are not disabilities when it comes to God. In fact, they often can be the very avenue through which we receive God’s power.

Next time you don’t feel strong enough, or think your failures disqualify you from God’s plan, think again. Hear Paul, the one who struggled with his own “thorn in the flesh” remind you that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will encourage your heart and strengthen you in every good work and word.