" I wouldn't trade it for the world"

In response to Paul pleading for God to remove the thorn from his flesh He said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, " My grace is sufficient for you, for MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS." Then Paul goes on to say in the last part of verse 9-10, " Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

While Paul desired not to have this thorn in his flesh,you know what I hear Paul saying? I hear him saying that he wouldn't trade what God is doing in His life for the world. He realized that his weaknesses, the insults, the hardships, the persecutions and difficulties were what made him more powerful in the spirit. Paul was an amazing man.

I have no desire to be primarily restricted to couch, to take 30 pills a day, to not be able to take care of my husband, my kids or my home, to not be able to exercise and go to what seems like every doctor in the city, to barely be able to walk or eat etc...etc...etc. But you know what? I wouldn't trade this season for the world. God's grace has been so sufficient and I have never been stronger in the midst of my weakness. God's Word and His life has never been more alive in me. God is so good to even give us a way to be content in the midst of weakness...yet another promise, that if we allow it to be living and active in our lives, it will be.

The truth is that most of us will not run after God with great intentionality unless we desperately need to. I remember as a teenager that I would spend hours alone with God, seriously, I know, that sounds really humble :-D, but it's the truth. I was always having to overcome something, just like all of you. Now, I am running after Him desperately and with great intentionality because, I want to be made strong in my weakness. I want people to see how powerful God really is and how powerful He really can be when in the physical it seems impossible. God is giving me the grace to delight in this season. Now don't confuse delight with acceptance. In other words, I am content and delight in what God is doing in the midst of this current trial, but I do not accept that it will not pass, God's Word says that it will, in His timing. I want to make that very clear. God is a Healer...period.

I have to access God's grace every. single. day. and every. single. minute. I seriously have been learning a whole new meaning behind living by the spirit and walking in the spirit. It's finally starting to become more my nature than what my flesh says. As a leader and someone who thought all this time that I was pretty close to God, I must say, that's a hard thing to admit for me. It's very humbling to watch God reveal to me the weaknesses in my spiritual armor, but then He comes right back around and makes His power perfect in the midst of it. Then I can't help but to humble myself to this amazing process and just trust that if He loves me enough to make His grace sufficient, then He loves me enough to bring me through to the other side. He is leading me into ALL truth and I love it, I embrace it and see His power more and more each day.

I am praying for all of you, that God's grace will be sufficient and that His power will be made perfect in your weakness. If  you haven't already, humble yourself to the process, whatever that looks like for you and hang onto your seat...you won't want to trade it for the world either.