Fragility...
I've cried a bit this week.
On three separate occasions in the last week I've had to handle personal criticism - some of it constructive, and some of it not. Some of it was justified, and I had to work hard to deal with the ramifications; some of it wasn't justified - but I had to work equally hard to deal with that, too.
In the end, I have to say, it hurt, whichever way round it was. I felt de-skilled ( lovely buzz word), threatened, and upset, but most of all, pretty weak. I wanted to kick myself for emotionalism, and maybe some over-reactions. I am my own worst critic.
And a small part of me said "How can God use you when you're so weak? You're supposed to be a woman of faith, a prayer warrior, and ready to do great exploits for God." Then the obvious verse came to mind:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9)
And also the list of heroes in Hebrews 11 talks about those "whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies". ( Heb 11:34)
But if you read about how such Men and Women of Faith got to that point, it makes sobering reading.
It just reminds me that our walks of faith can be easy or hard, but they are rarely without moments when we feel incredibly small, weak and fragile. But that is how we learn to be dependent on God. The moment this stops happening is when we need to get REALLY worried!
Pat's Thought for the Day:
One of the most fragile things in the Universe is a baby... so that's how He chose to come....
On three separate occasions in the last week I've had to handle personal criticism - some of it constructive, and some of it not. Some of it was justified, and I had to work hard to deal with the ramifications; some of it wasn't justified - but I had to work equally hard to deal with that, too.
In the end, I have to say, it hurt, whichever way round it was. I felt de-skilled ( lovely buzz word), threatened, and upset, but most of all, pretty weak. I wanted to kick myself for emotionalism, and maybe some over-reactions. I am my own worst critic.
And a small part of me said "How can God use you when you're so weak? You're supposed to be a woman of faith, a prayer warrior, and ready to do great exploits for God." Then the obvious verse came to mind:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9)
And also the list of heroes in Hebrews 11 talks about those "whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies". ( Heb 11:34)
But if you read about how such Men and Women of Faith got to that point, it makes sobering reading.
It just reminds me that our walks of faith can be easy or hard, but they are rarely without moments when we feel incredibly small, weak and fragile. But that is how we learn to be dependent on God. The moment this stops happening is when we need to get REALLY worried!
Pat's Thought for the Day:
One of the most fragile things in the Universe is a baby... so that's how He chose to come....
posted by PatK at
7:33 pm
2 Comments:
Hey Pat,
whatever critisim you get, whether legitimate or not, you've been a cool friend over the last year or so and I appreciate that.
So keep looking up
:)
shasa
By
commentator33, at 11:56 pm
Pat,
Many thanks for sharing your "fragility". Your witness shines through irrespective of how weak you may be feeling and will bless many. Reading your blog is encouraging so thank you for being bold enough to share your experience. Big hug to you. Just also remember how precious you are in God's sight.
Thank you for all the support and encouragement you have given me and the rest of the family.
:-)
Sarah
By
SarahB, at 7:44 am
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