Strength

Strength astounds me and boggles my little human mind beyond understanding. I think about strength and how humans are given the ability to overcome and face situations that are placed upon them and I am amazed. I think of divorced couples who choose to continue to seek after God's plan for their lives regardless of the hardship they have been through. I think of children who have been abandoned and left, who have no one to turn to and yet believe in their heart that everything will be alright. I think of people who have the strength and courage to stand up for what they think is right and honorable which goes against the culture of today. Strength is something that baffles me, and leaves me wishing that I had more of it. There are many different kinds of strength. Some strength is brought about physically. You can walk into a gym and watch buff men lift weights to gain physical strength. But then there is some that is internally driven. That kind of strength is by far more noticeable and more impacting than physical strength. This strength deifies the odds, and leaves people asking, "How?" Today I was talking with someone about my trip explaining everything that we will be doing, and as I was talking about it I realized how dangerous this trip will be. A shear sense of fear crossed over my face, and noticing it she then asked a simple question, "How do you do it?  With everything at stake and all that scary stuff, how do you do it?" Even though the fear of the unknowns began to creep in and take a hold, this was my answer without hesitation, "Strength." This truth hit me in the face when I said it. Up until that moment I didn't really know how I was doing it. But this is true......it is only through the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is definitely not my strength, because I am weak and fragile. How do you think people make it through divorce, or children always seem to have that sense of hope when abandoned, or people stand up for truth.....It is only though strength from our Heavenly Father. Strength from myself would get me as far as getting out of the bed in the morning..but strength from God can lead me to a Nation where I don't know the language, people, or customs. Strength drives us to be different...to not look like the world around. Yes you can survive day by day without this strength, but only through Christ will you thrive when faced with scary unknowns. Strength is baffling and the only answer to that question of "How?"....is through the Living God we serve.