You are strong. I imagine you don’t usually feel as if that word fits you.
…stressed
tired
overwhelmed
anxious
exhausted…
Maybe it seems those words better fit how you feel most days. And maybe they do. Maybe you pour and give and never feel quite filled back up.
You don’t feel strong. I get it. It’s hard to think of yourself as strong when you feel so… weak.
But can I tell you something? You might feel like the woman hanging on by a thread, but you aren’t letting go. Are you?
You might feel as if you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders – often without sleep and adequate nutrition… all while feeling really alone some days.
But you don’t stop. Do you?
You sit. You pause. You work to breathe when it’s necessary.
But you keep going… because you are strong.
You are not weak. Not broken. Not at fault because it’s hard.
You are persistent because you keep going even though it’s hard.
Do you know what strong women do though? They bravely shout, “This is hard! I need help! I need a break! I need my people to support me!”
If I could, I’d come and sit with you in your living room and help. I’d watch your kids so you could nap. Or we’d chat while your kids were at school. Or we’d fold laundry and talk about your grown children and how you still worry about them. You’d gain a little strength, but most of it wouldn’t come from the nap or the folded laundry or the practical help. It would come from knowing that you’re not alone.
So, even though I can’t be there… I can tell you this. You’re not alone. You’re running your race, pressing on toward the goal… and Jesus is running right beside you. So proud of you. (You pictured Him running in tunic didn’t you?)
There’s a story in Scripture found in Exodus 17. Moses lead the Israelites out from under the rule of the oppressive Egyptians. In the wilderness, they came against a group of people called the Amalekites. Moses took the staff that God had given him and climbed to the top of the mountain. So long as he held up the staff, the Israelites would advance. When he lowered his staff, the Amalekites advanced.
When Moses couldn’t hold up his arms anymore (and victory depended on it) his brother and a friend held up his arms for him.
Most of the time when this story is told, we are asked to look around our lives for people who can come alongside us and help hold us up too.
Do you know what I want you to look around and see today?
I want you to see Jesus who held his arms outstretched on a cross, so HE would be able to hold up your arms today.
I want you to think about your God who loves you so much that He’d die and conquer death… just so that you wouldn’t be alone on your couch in your living room right now.
Do we need community? Yes. Do we need actual people with hands to help us some days? Absolutely!
But if you find yourself in a season of life where you have no one to ask for help, hear me say this:
Today you don’t need anyone but Jesus. You don’t need anyone but the Holy Spirit to come alongside you and hold you up when you feel like you can’t take one more step.
Because that kind of strength is a promise. That’s the promise of our eternal life that begins the moment we confess that Jesus is Lord. It’s not just eternal life that begins the moment we die.
Eternal life is life that doesn’t run out, and it begins the moment we say, “Jesus, I need you.” You are already living your eternal life with Jesus.
Another self-help book, or another fifteen minutes of sleep, or another glass of wine tonight isn’t going to provide the strength or bring the peace that Jesus can bring into the room with you right now.
Because no one said it wouldn’t be hard, but God does promise that we won’t have to do any of it alone.
And His strength? Well, His strength never runs out.
So here’s our hymn. Are you ready?
We are STRONG moms.
We are raising STRONG kids.
So we need a STRONG God.
Praise the Lord, He is strong enough for all of us.
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