The worst is actually the best. The best can sometimes be the worst.

          The attributes of God’s greatest gifts

How does this make sense? How can the worst thing in my life also be the best? I think with a little explanation, you will understand what I am trying to say, and I hope that you also find connections to this odd contradiction in your own life.

The greatest harm,

               But the best rewards.

The hardest times,

               But the best miracles.

The loudest cries,

               But the biggest smiles.

Family

               Work

                              School

                                             Relationships

These things can bring me to tears of hurt and frustration, yet at the same time, leave me thanking God for giving them to me, for I could not live this wonderful life without them.

These things in life that cause us both sadness and happiness, pain and pure joy are exactly this – God’s greatest blessings. But how can a gift so brilliant also cause so much hurt?

Well, there are many things in the Bible that contradict like this. For example…

When I am weak, I am strong

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. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-11

The contradiction here is: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Explained in these verses, during times of weakness, the power of the Holy Spirit rests in us, giving us the strength and the courage to overcome any difficulty. Times of weakness give God’s true power the opportunity to be displayed in a magnificent way.

There is a time for everything

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

               A time to be born and a time to die,

               A time to plant and a time to uproot,

               A time to kill and a time to heal,

               A time to tear down and a time to build,

               A time to weep and a time to laugh,

               A time to mourn and a time to dance,

               A time to scatter stones and time to gather them,

               A time to embrace and time to refrain from embracing,

               A time to search and a time to give up,

               A time to keep and a time to throw away,

               A time to tear and a time to mend,

               A time to be silent and a time to speak,

               A time to love and a time to hate,

               A time for war and a time for peace.

                              ~ Ecclesiastes 3: 1-9

I really like these verses in Ecclesiastes, my favorite being “A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” These verses help us to understand that 1) there is a time for everything and 2) what God has given us, the world around us, can cause us to both “weep” and “laugh”, “mourn” and “dance.”

So yes, it just so could be that God’s greatest gifts are those that sometimes cause us great pain, but at other times great joy. With that, when something is causing us pain, let us try and remember that His power is made strong in our weakness, and that the very thing causing us pain could be one of God’s greatest blessings.

Patience. Trust. Perseverance.

Relax, Sarah – Chill out – Just wait – Be patient!

When my mind is racing, and when I am starting to have a nervous breakdown, these are phrases that I often hear people say to me, but for some reason, they don’t help all that much. Even though they are natural words to help get me to calm down while I am displaying these emotions, they tend to escalate my feelings of anxiousness and impatience instead of diminish them.

Why is this happening, I don’t understand. Why can’t I know what to do right at this moment?

This is what is most likely going through my mind at those times I don’t understand why something is happening, and when I don’t know what to do about it. Or when I am looking ahead at my unknown future and just want to know what is going to happen next.

So during these times, the words “Just be patient, Sarah” usually aren’t as effective as the person saying them wishes them to be (I'm sorry to admit that for those of you that have said this to me - no hard feelings!). Maybe it is because they don’t explain why I need to be patient, the “reward” I will receive by just being patient.

Patience is linked to trust– trusting that God has your life in His hands. The truth is, He has great plans in store for you, so there is no need to worry about what is ahead. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11. But trusting in God’s plan is much easier said than done, for me at least. I found that this second link helped me to understand the importance of patience even more.

Hebrews 10:36 reads, You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Persevere by definition is “to continue a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.” To me, perseverance requires both patience (“the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset”) and complete trust in God’s mighty power and incredible plan for your life. By persevering through any trial, you will “receive what he has promised.” In other words, you will receive your “reward.” Perseverance is a value of mine: something that is very important to me, influences the decisions I make, and defines my character. Linking perseverance (an attribute I feel pretty strong in) to patience (an attribute I don’t enjoy practicing as much) gives me more confidence that I can be patient. It makes being patient not seem so bad!

To me, linking patience, trust and perseverance together makes sense. It explains the importance of being patient in God’s timing (which is never early or late, but always just right), and trusting in His will when you don’t know all the details.

It explains why in the midst of a trial, all three of these attributes are tested and strengthened.

Patience. Trust. Perseverance. – This week, I challenge you to display all three of these attributes in a new way, whether it is in your relationships, in the midst of a trial you are facing right now, or working them into your day to day activities. May these attributes grow stronger and lead you ever more closer to the presence and will of our Heavenly Father.

A year ago today, this blog was created, my first work was posted, and a dream was launched.

Throughout this year, there have been words of affirmation that God is real and present, and ones of pain and suffering followed by comforting and encouragement.

I have learned a lot about myself through the starting of this blog, and I hope you as a reader learned a little bit more about me too. But more importantly, I hope you received a little hope from time to time, some insight, and a whole lot more love for our awesome God through the reading of this blog.

Just for old times’ sake, here is a flashback to my very first blog post:

One Strength: The Inspiration behind the Title

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

“There is no way I will be able to pass this final exam.”

“I don’t think I can get through a full day of work today.”

“I have so much to do, and so little time.”

“I don’t have the will and the patience to deal with this right now.”

“I am not strong enough to stand up to them.”

“I am too afraid to share and defend my faith.”

“This is too much for me to handle.”

I am sure all of you have told yourself something along these lines multiple times in your lifetime, I know I have. Situations in life can sometimes knock you down, and allow your strength, power, and confidence to dwindle.

But just when you think you can’t get back up again, God is right there saying: “Yes you can, because you got me.” During rough times, times when you feel you are lacking the strength to just get through the day, or even do what is right, we need to remember who is our ultimate strength; God. God is our One Strength.  

Today’s post is dedicated to remembering where this blog started, with this one simple post explaining the meaning and importance of the title One Strength, and the 55 posts that have followed it. Through this blog, God has worked in and through me, changing me from the inside-out. I am eternally grateful for this ability to share what God has pressed on my heart throughout the year through One Strength.

But I cannot talk about how wonderful a year it has been without mentioning those very important people I wish to thank. First of all, thank you Lord, for being faithful and giving me the ability to write. Thank you to each member of my family, for reading my posts, always supporting me and sharing my blog with others. To Zach, for helping me get this blog idea off the ground, and encouraging me ever since. And to all my friends and readers, thank you for supporting One Strength by reading, commenting and sharing my blog for the purpose spreading the love of Christ.

I am once again excited for a second year of blog writing, and have dreams to do with my writing something powerful for the ministry of Jesus Christ. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any comments you have, and what you would like to see from One Strength in this next year.

God bless!

Which will you tune into?

I am trying the best I can, but my best isn’t good enough. I am too grumpy or uptight or controlling. I’m not smart enough to understand, not strong enough to handle it.

I wish I was better, I wish I wasn’t here right now. Whether I try or don’t try, I still lose.

If someone could only understand the me I am trying to be, why I try so hard, why I act the way I do. If only they could see inside my head, because I can’t put it into words. Then, someone would understand...

_____________________________________________________

I am God’s child, I am beloved. I am wonderfully and perfectly made in His image. I am strong. I am worth it.

I am here for a reason, I need to keep trying. I am casting my cares on Him, for He cares for me. He loves me no matter what the outcome. He wants effort, not a perfect performance.

He understands that I am trying, and He understands that I will fail sometimes. But He is still there, and He knows what is going to happen even before I do. When I can’t put it into words, He still understands, because my God is powerful and His knowledge is beyond all measures.

I hope the answer is obvious, and through this realization, your mindset is renewed.

I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there too – your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful – I can’t take it all in! ~ Psalm 139:5-6

Can you even go one day without…

Standing in awe of His beautiful creation?

Seeing Him through the good deed of a neighbor?

Feeling His presence through the kind words of a stranger?

Speaking the words, “I love you”?

Being grateful for loving friends and family?

Asking God for strength?

Pleading with Him for healing?

Relying on Him for help?

Submitting to His Word with doubts?

If we can’t even go one day without doing any of these things, why should we?

We cannot go a day without falling to our knees in surrender.

Our health, doubts, struggles and the hardships of day to day life can get us down, and these are the times when we find ourselves falling to our knees in surrender. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes unconsciously, like it is the last option we have. Although, falling to our knees in surrender shouldn’t feel like our very last option, what we do when all else fails, because God is always there. We need to surrender to Him with our worries, doubts and struggles on a daily basis. He will comfort us.

We cannot go a day without throwing up our hands in praise.

As much as this life is hard, it is also beautiful. We can’t but help to see His beauty all around us – through the Earth under our feet and the people we interact with day to day. Too often we give the glory of what seems our creations – a job promotion, our children, our home – to ourselves, when it is ultimately God who did the heavy lifting. We are His handymen, and He is the creator, creating good works for us to do. Give God the glory, for He is the creator of all good things.

Combine both of these elements into your day to day life, just like this verse combines praise and comfort.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 1: 3-5

Our God is good. 

Surrender to Him daily, and praise Him just as much. 

I just want to fix it

Isn’t there always something in our lives that needs to be fixed?

A broken relationship…A sinful habit…A lost passion…An unforgiving heart

When something goes wrong, my first instinct is to want to fix it; right away. But a lot of things don’t work that way – they can’t be fixed in an instant.  So instead, I think of the long process that needs to happen in order for it to be fixed, and I plan it out exactly how I want it to happen. What can I say, I am a fixer and a planner.

But life doesn’t work that way either – a lot of the time we can’t fix it, but God can. Not by my work, but by His. Not by my doing, but by the doing of my Heavenly Father. And by pressing into Him, maybe you will have the privilege of seeing God’s divine miracle, his marvelous healing, unfold in your life.

You can’t fix it – but God can.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:6

So I know He can fix it, but when is He going to do it? When will He mend the wound? When will he restore your relationship, help you turn away from that sinful habit, rediscover your talents or renew your heart?

Only He himself knows.

So when the battle just doesn’t seem to end soon enough, keep pressing on. God already picked the time you, and ultimately He, will win it.

But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. – Micah 7:7

Don’t Shatter God’s Gifts

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:17

We all have those gifts in our lives that are more important to us than any material object could ever be – a family member, best friend, good health, job or place.

I could name multiple gifts in my life that were given to me by my Heavenly Father…relationships, family, a place to call home, a summer job…but more often than I would like to admit, I take these gifts for granted, forgetting to thank Him for giving me so many special gifts that I am far from deserving. And even at points, I break these gifts. I get angry at a friend, wish I had a different job, or get jealous of someone else’s home. They begin to fall apart, and yes, sometimes even shatter.

But after realizing what I have done, God, with His oh so great mercy and faithfulness, peacefully puts the gifts back together. He makes them new again. He restores my relationship with my friend, gives me hope and patience at my job, and helps me to be extremely grateful for my home. He fixes them up so that I don’t ever want to break them again.

And even though we ought to break our gifts from time to time…we may doubt, we may get jealous, we may get angry…God will always put them back together.

But with God on our side, let’s try the best we can to keep God’s gifts He has given to us from shattering in the first place.

FIRST: From Ephesians 6:13-17: Put on the “full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.” When doubts begin to fill your mind, put on the “belt of truth” and the “helmet of salvation”, to remind you of what God’s Word says – that His gifts are precious and perfect, and He will make all things new. When things begin to get shaky in your relationship, take up the “shield of faith”, in which you can fend off all temptations. And when you just feel overwhelmed at your job, don’t forget to put the “gospel of peace” in your back pocket.

SECOND: Don’t let sin creep in and tear you away from keeping God at the center of your interactions with you special gifts. Do not become proud or boastful, jealous or rude. Pray that God is at the center of your family, relationships, job, home, and all the special gifts in your life.

THIRD: PRAISE HIM every single day for the special gifts only He could give you. Give thanks always.