Strength in Reliance
And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for
you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ For when I am weak, then I
am strong. (2 Cor 12:9-10)
More often than not, we go through
our daily lives without even thinking about God. Far too easily and frequently,
we slip into relying on our own judgment instead of bringing things before God.
We instinctively turn to our own judgment instead of God’s wisdom when crises
arise or when decision-making is called for.
Relying on God. To some, being
unable to do things yourself is a sign of weakness, while being able to make
your own decisions makes you a strong person. However, being able to place our burdens
fully in the Lord’s hands is not necessarily the easy way out. It requires much
faith, courage and perseverance. So who is truly stronger – the one who is able
to fully rely on God, or the one who continues to rely on himself? Doing what
we can to the best of our ability is one of the few things everyone can do, but
realizing our limitations and submitting our burdens to God a step into a
higher ground of faith and courage.
Achieving complete reliance on God
is difficult. But when we reach this reliance, it becomes our greatest strength.
We are able to spend those last few minutes before the exam in a silent prayer
instead of last minute studying, can focus on future interviews instead of burdening
our minds about past ones, are able to part with our loved ones with a smile
instead of tears.
As we are constantly faced with
difficult choices, there is one thing we must keep in mind: we are only human.
Relying on our own strength, we produce second-rate results at best. By relying
on God, we will truly live a life of peace, free from unnecessary worries, and
know that it is His path that we walk. He truly takes care of all the little things we
place squarely in His capable hands.
Question for Reflection:
In what ways and in which areas of our lives can
we train ourselves to rely on God, and not on ourselves?
