Sometimes you are lucky enough to find a community that feels just like the place you want to hang out. You know when you visit that it feels like home and once there you don’t want to leave. It’s the feeling you get when you sit across the table from a friend with your favorite coffee or tea. The conversation flows and the friendship flourishes. There is such a place that gathers every week at Kate Motaung’s. It’s called Five Minute Friday where coffee and chocolate are always available. Some friends meet on Twitter Thursday evenings to begin the party and others join after a one word prompt is given for all to ponder. These are my people and this community is HOME. Come join us as we write for five minutes on a word and share your own ponderings.
WEAK
GO…
As a child I lovingly looked at the monkey bars and yearned for the day I could cross on my own strength. Day after day on the playground, I watched the other kids easily maneuvering the bars from beginning to end. I stood in awe and wondered how they accomplished this feat. When most kids had cleared the area, I gave the monkey bars a try and found out that holding on with all my strength was about all I could do. My upper body was weak and as hard as I tried I did not make it across. Eventually, I just admired those who were successful and recognized my weakness.
As I have grown older, I know myself better and better each day. I recognize the areas where I am weak and work on building into my strengths. I thank God for the gifts He has graced me with and know that in my uniqueness, He looks at me as strong and capable.
[Tweet “God takes my weakness and creates an identity that is strong and capable. “]
It is so easy to believe we are not good enough, strong enough or worthy enough, but in our weaknesses we learn who we are and how God made us. I delight in my weakness because it is then I am strong.
May you rejoice today that God blessed you with parts of your unique identity that balance weak and strong gifts. It is when we use these gifts in harmony with God that we honor Him. God loves the weak and works with us to see that those pieces of us are just as important to Him as the beautiful gifts of strength. God gave us grace and in that grace He reminds us that we are made strong in our weakness.
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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Blessings to all,
And now… Announcing the second Five Minute Friday Retreat! Coming this summer July 21-23, 2017! Yippee!
This–>”It is when we use these gifts in harmony with God that we honor Him.” I often forget that both weakness and strength are gifts of God’s grace and that I need both to balance myself and to use together to glorify Him. Thanks for the reminder. xoxo
I’m not always good at admitting my weaknesses but knowing that God blessed me with them helps. He loves every part of us and that is the grace that keeps me going. Happy weekend!
Mary, such uplifting words! I used to love the monkey bars. I was on top, swinging beneath and swinging myself over them. 🙂 God is so gracious to create us with aspects that are weak so we can learn to trust Him with them.
I loved what you said here: “God blessed you with parts of your unique identity that balance weak and strong gifts. It is when we use these gifts in harmony with God that we honor Him.”
We shouldn’t look at our weaknesses as “bad,” but as opportunities to see things with a different perspective, as you did with the monkey bars. Thanks for such good food for thought today!
We are truly better because of our weaknesses. They are opportunities to glorify God just as our strengths. I pray that we continue to learn how to trust Him through all.
I always wanted to cross those monkey bars too. Just know upper body strength. But I could pump a swing higher than high – and touch the sky!!! xo
I was great on the swing too. I love that we are kindred spirits. God blessed us both with beautiful weaknesses and strengths.
I’m a lightweight, that’s for sure! Even when I used to work out 4 days a week (did I really do that, ugh!) I never built up much upper body strength. But they say the pen is mightier than the sword 🙂 Even so, it’s hard to embrace our weaknesses. Even knowing that God can and does work through those weak places. Always there is the call to walk by faith. Great post, Mary – blessings on your weekend!
Thank goodness for the pen. I never built up the upper body strength either. I thank God that He doesn’t love me any less because I can’t cross the monkey bars but embraces me in my weaknesses. Walking in the truth that God loves everything about us.
Perfect in weakness indeed. I used that passage in my post too. I love the monkey bar story. I struggled to do them too but I did eventually get across them. Did you? I’m over in the 43 spot this week.
I did not eventually get over the monkey bars but I was able to let go of that dream. 😉 Happy weekend!
Love your playground story. What a perfect blend to weakness and strength! Great job as usual.
Thank you Karen! I have many stories that portray my weakness. Blessed to have you here!
I could never do the monkey bars either! It is important to recognise that we are all unique and our strengths and weaknesses are all part of who God made us to be. It is reassuring to remember that our weaknesses are the places that allow God to fill us with his strength instead of us relying on our own.
I love that we are all unique and wired differently. It’s what make our world so beautiful. I need to recognize that who I am is not the same as who you are and that is okay. God will come alongside both of us in our strengths and weaknesses. Thank you for being here!
Loved this, Mary. The way you developed this from the monkey bars (oh, how I remember those!) to 2 Cor is really awesome.
#1 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/02/your-dying-spouse-275-i-hope-you-dance.html
Thank you Andrew! I imagine you were good at the monkey bars. Guys always seemed to be able to do it better than girls. Happy weekend!
In our weakness we can see the strength of God flowing through us. He takes what we call weakness and through His strength makes us strong. Great reminder tonight, Mary.
Blessings to you!
Thank you Gayl. I know I have learned so much more through my weakness because God’s presence feels even stronger during those times. Maybe I realize how much I need Him on order to get through the brokenness. Happy Weekend!
You and me both, with the monkey bars…though I don’t think I was as accepting as you are with my weakness. I kept trying and got more and more frustrated when I just couldn’t do it! 🙂
I wanted to keep trying and I did more than once but upper body strength has never been my gift. Happy weekend friend!