Strength in Weakness?

Strength in Weakness?  Those three words sound like such a contradiction.  But they have become so real to me over the last 2 years of my life.  I have always heard and read on many occassions these few verses I'm about to share with you, but rarely have I sat and pondered them until 2 years ago today...

II Corinthians 12:9-10

"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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I am so glad that in my weaknesses, God is found strong; but not only in my weaknesses - in my insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  God is so good.  

One of the worst hardships came in my life on December 1st, 2011.  I had just found out I was pregnant the week before on Thanksgiving!  What a blessing to find out we were expecting our second child, and on Thanksgiving day no less! I was beaming with thankfulness and blessings.  Little did I know that not even a week later all those wonderful feelings would crash into disappointment and sorrow.  December 1st, I had lost my baby.  I was 5 weeks along.  Not very far, but take a look at a 5 week old baby.

His/Her vital organs have started to form, and a life is being knitted together.  You know, God says in Psalm 139:13 : " For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb." 

 I had truly suffered a great loss, a baby that God was knitting together, but had decided to take home.  I was devestated. Why? Why me? Why now? Why this baby? I had nothing to claim, but Job 1:21b "...the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."  I clung to this verse so much in the next weeks to come.  I had to chose to bless HIS name above everything I was feeling, above the loss, above the sorrow.  Can I tell you, it made all the difference.  Because - "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  God really showed Himself to me in this trial in my life.  He showed me that He needs to be my strength, that people are hurting everyday through trials like mine and that I need to love them more.  That Life is precious and to never take it for granted. That HIS timing is perfect! I also learned...

This is so true! WHATEVER you are facing, I know God will use it for HIS honor and glory! Romans 8:28 tells us so! ~"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."~  I use this statement everytime I face a trial or I'm talking to someone else facing a trial.  It has always happened to me.  No matter what I have faced, the loss of a child, life's disappointments, the betrayal of a friend, the loss of a loved one, my God has turned it around and used it in ways that I could have NEVER imagined!  He allowed me to come into contact with people that needed to know that there is gladness and joy after the trial.  That peace does come, that God will bring you through it. I could've never had this testimony had I not faced the test - "No mess, No message!" HE said, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  Glory in your weaknesses, your trials, because in them the power of Christ will dwell upon you, for when you are weak - low, devestated, dispondent, hurt, betrayed - but you CHOSE to trust The Lord, then my friend, YOU are STRONG in GOD!  What a precious promise, and TRUTH! 

Another truth in God's Word that I LOVE is what He tells us in Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."  This was another verse I claimed in the next 7 months after we lost our baby that we prayed and hoped God would bless again, but chose not to.  I had some hard days, but I just kept coming to this verse.  I know my Lord, and He told me that if I delight in Him and trust in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart.  It may not be in MY timing, but He will come through!  Boy, did he ever! Let me tell you how God worked! Let me tell you how my God turned ashes to beauty!  WIth the baby I had lost, we were due in August of 2012, when did I find out that God was going to bless us again with a precious child? you guessed it, August 2012!  Not only had God chosen to give us a beautiful miracle, he gave me a good memory to go along side a hard one.  Then nine months later, He gave us a beautiful blessing in Judah Michael.  

He has been such a blessing to my life! God has taught me so much through him already! He turned 7 months yesterday, and today, December 1st, you know the day, two years ago that God decided to take my second child back to Him, we will dedicate Judah Michael to The Lord.  We will give him back to God, and ask The Lord to use his life however He sees fit.  I thank The Lord for always taking my hard days, the days that memories of sorrow flood back and He blesses me in them.

You know sometimes God doesn't allow us to see the "why" in a trial.  He may never show us why we had to face it, but I love those occassions where He not only shows us the reason, but He gives us an extra blessing afterward.  He shows that all things do work together for good to them that love HIM! 

Just thought I'd share with you how God became strong in my weakness.  How He took such a hard situation in my life and turned it around for His good.  Does it still hurt, absolutely, I will never forget or get over my loss.  But I can KNOW that God is good, and I can CHOSE to trust Him in all things! 

There really is strength in weakness, we just have to chose to embrace it, give God first place and He will use it for His honor and glory.

I am going to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Priscilla Shirer.