Strength Connection

"Is that your last funeral?"

That's the question that greeted me Sunday evening when I finally got home. My daughter gave me a big hug and I could tell she was ready for me to be home for a while.

Unfortunately, the answer was, "No. I have one more tomorrow."

It was a tough week at Midtowne. We had four deaths in as many days. It was a very emotionally, physically, and even spiritually draining week. At one point I told my wife that I was not sure I had anything left to give to all of these grieving people.

As always, her wisdom came through. She reminded me that I never had anything to give in the first place. I am not God. I cannot be all that He is and can be to those who are hurting. I can only be His tool, His instrument, the carrier He uses to minister His grace, love and mercy to others.

So What?

When we are having one of those days, weeks, months, lives, that makes us feel we can't go on, remember this: God is the strength of our life and He will give us what we need when we need it. All we need to do is stay in touch with Him. I was reminded this past week of two pieces of scripture.

John 15:5 (Jesus speaking) Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (NLT)

Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.(NIV)

Be disciplined in developing your relationship with God. He will always give you what you need.

Sure You Can

"We can't play with them! They will kill us. I don't want to play. This is stupid."

Those are some of the comments I heard last night at soccer practice when I told my son's team that we were going to practice with the older guys team. You should have heard the whining! I thought I was going to have to call the "Wambulance"! Waaaah! Waaah!

I quickly gathered them around and told them that they needed to quit talking like that. There was absolutely no reason for them to act that way or talk like that. I told them that they were going to talk themselves out of playing well and that they were just convincing themselves that they were not good enough to play with those guys (who, by the way, were only like a year or maybe two older).

If you tell yourself that you can't do something there is a really good chance that you won't do it. If you tell yourself that you are not good enough then you will most likely perform at a level lower than what you truly are capable of.

So What?

Quit discounting yourself. Don't talk yourself out of something before you even attempt it. You are an awesome creation with great skills and abilities. And, if you are a follower of Christ, you have His power in you. Get in there and work hard. You may find yourself in situations where you feel like the odds are against you but you can still do your best. And your best is all anyone can expect from you.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (New Living Translation)

BTW...our guys did great!