Strength To Cope - $150

If you were at your friendly neighborhood drugstore and saw a bottle of pills with this tag, would you buy it? How wonderful would it be to have some sort of magic potion handy during a bad day at work, a run in with an ex, or a day showing up for jury duty? It would be legal of course, would have no side effects, and would simply increase your strength and ability to get through the day without having a total meltdown, breakdown or being taken downtown for running someone over with your car.

There are jeans more expensive than a good-sized bottle of STC, so I would have little problem justifying such a purchase. There are many days where I feel I could use them, many in a row over the last week, actually.

You see, my husband had very bad bronchitis. The kind where he ached all over every time he coughed and his coughs could be heard down at the local supermarket. In addition to that, my 2 year old son had an advanced and very painful sinus infection, leaving him coughing, but also wailing in pain and touching his face and head. Looking at this sad lot you would think this was a post about how bad it was for them.... but no, it's about how hard it was for ME. Yes, I am human, and imperfect, and flawed - so sometimes the first person I worry about when my son or husband starts to get sick - is myself. That's reality.

So this was a hard week. By the end I felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and on edge. I needed strength to get through it. I needed to take the maximum dosage allowed of some STC pills.

But those don't exist, do they? So what was I to do at 3:45 am while I was rocking my son through a rough night? How was I expected to get through another day of caring for a sick child by myself, and trying not to feel guilty for not being able to care for my husband the way I wanted to? I needed strength and I needed it pronto.

Fortunately, I have a God whose name brings to mind words like strength, might, power, faithfulness, mercy and grace. I called out to HIM in the middle of the night when I knew morning would come too soon and I would not feel ready. I cried out to HIM when my son cried in pain and there was nothing I could do. I reached out to HIM to give me the physical, mental, and emotional strength I needed to get through the stress and care for my family.

I didn't even need to remove a childproof cap or down a glass of water.

There are things in life that stress us out and push us to our limits. There are days in life that feel like they will last forever. The day you are told you are laid off from your job. The day you find out your best friend has cancer. The day you hold a newborn baby that will only live for one hour. The day you wonder if you can get through the day at all.

Be encouraged. There is a God who will be your strength. He will sustain you. He will uphold you. When you feel like you are at your limit, He will give you the strength you need to press on.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults,
And with my song I shall thank Him.

In 2 Corinthians 12, our God says that His power is made perfect in weakness. The word perfect in the Greek is 'teleios', which actually means mature and complete. The idea is, when something is perfect, it is doing what it was created to do. When we feel weak, the power of God within us through the Holy Spirit does what it was created to do and steps in to empower us. HIS power and might are in our reserve tank. That's why Paul says he will boast in his weakness. He knows that when he is weak, the strength of God is at his disposal.

The strength of God is at OUR disposal. When you feel weak, overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted or just DONE - look to Him for strength and you will find it.

Psalm 121:1-2
I lift my eyes up to the mountains;
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.

**every time you see LORD in your bible, it is actually the word YHWH that was there. It is our God, the great I AM. YHWH.