Why God Breaks Our Hearts

Hey Friend,

This post is totally not what I was intending to write on, but funny how God has a way of making His agenda known.

The most dangerous prayer I have ever prayed was Lord, break my heart with what breaks Yours.

The Lord, God answered that prayer and today I felt my heart breaking in two and I knew without a doubt that God's heart must be breaking too.  So why on earth would God want to break our hearts?  Doesn't he want us to have life and to have it abundantly?  Yes, to that too.

Ultimately, however, God cares more about our character than he does about our creature comforts. 

God ultimately wants to conform us to the image of Christ and if there was ever a man with a broken heart, it was Christ.

We may not be able to wrap our tiny minds around the concept that Jesus was fully God AND fully man.  The fully man part, we do get.  Jesus wept with those who wept.  He mourned with those who mourned. 

John 11:35 (the shortest verse in the Bible) says: Jesus wept.

It is the shortest verse, but perhaps the most telling and emotionally packed.  Jesus wept out of sympathy with those in tears all around him, as well as from a deep sense of misery that sin had brought on human nature.

So what happens when our hearts are allowed to be broken?

*  It gives us a glimpse into God's/Christ's compassion for us.  For perhaps the first time we see what they see and feel what they feel.

*  It draws us into a deep relationship/dependence/reliance on God.  Sad as it is so say, if we skipped through life with never a broken heart, we would not have a need for God.

*  It keeps us from being self-absorbed and self-centered.  When our heart is broken it forces us out of our self-centered universe and directs our attention onto others.

*  It allows Love to flow into/out from us.  When our heart is broken, we not only inhale, we feverishly gulp in God's love.  Once filled, we have reserves that are able to naturally flow out from us.

*  It keeps us expectantly waiting on joy - whether it's joy after a night of sorrow or the joy of eternal life.  Without the dark, we cannot truly appreciate the light.  Without pain and sorrow, we cannot truly experience joy.

I have several examples of how God has allowed my heart to break and why...

My experiences with depression and an anxiety disorder (OCD) have given me a heart for others who also suffer.  I'm afraid, that without my own experiences, I may have grown judgmental or intolerant - thinking it was a character weakness or lack of faith.

I think I have had enough injuries and ailments that have required numerous surgeries, procedures, and rehabs.  Having not been able to walk at all for a month gave me a new appreciation for the person who will never get up out of a wheelchair and walk.  I look at disabilities in a whole new light and renewed admiration for the lion hearts that lie beneath.

Had I not experienced the rejection and betrayal that infidelity and divorce bring with it, I would not understand the strength needed to be a single parent and deal with loneliness and isolation.

If I had never wept over a wayward child I couldn't begin to understand how God sees us when we choose our own destructive path over choosing his life-giving way.

If God hadn't allowed my heart to break over the injustice of the director of a Christian school in Pakistan and the children who walk down the street with targets on their backs because they follow Christ, I would not have the passion I have to fight evil wherever it exists. 

I no longer take walking safely down my street for granted, and I shake my head over those who continue to live with their head stuck in the sand.

Because, that's not how Christ lived...He allowed His heart to break for those who were/are hurting.

True faith...faith that sometimes, oftentimes hurts is not for the faint of heart.

Ultimately though, when my heart has been broken it allows me to have love and compassion for others whose hearts have been broken too.  Together we can weep, but more importantly, then it gives me the opportunity to share the Joy and Hope that is in me.  What a glorious invitation that is to share that my one, true, Joy and Hope, lies in Christ and Christ alone.

This is the awesome story of Grace and Redemption...one that with broken hearts we can share with others whose hearts have been broken.

Jesus broke the bread saying, "This is my body, which is [broken] for you; do this in remembrance of me."  (1 Corinthians 11:24)

Lord, thank you for breaking my heart with the things that break your heart.  Thank you for allowing me to begin to see others from Your vantage point.  Help me to have a heart and a listening ear for those who are hurting.  Let the love that you have poured out on me, pour out onto them.  When invited, enable me to share, with joy, the hope that is in me.  Thank you for Jesus' body and blood that were broken and shed for me.  Give me a heart of gratitude.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Be blessed...

ps. A little orphan girl named Noor recently came in through the doors of Redeemer Christian School.  Up until then she was a childhood slave forced to sweep and clean and do chores (a modern day Cinderella - only hers is no fairytale and there's no ball or Prince Charming).  But, she is being introduced to the Prince of Peace through the scriptures and is being given a chance at an education. Will you help keep the doors of the school open for her?

Send contributions to:  Bev Rihtarchik/RCS

                                       103 Silver Lining Lane

                                       Cary, NC  27513

Thank you...please, please pray for the safety of the director, teachers, and children!

What Is True Success?

Hey Friend,

 

Tonight, I am supposed to go with my husband to a fundraiser for the international organization "Dress For Success".  They are a wonderful organization doing good things.  Their mission statement is: "We promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools to help them thrive in work and life."

 

One small problem...what if I, me, this woman who pecks away at her laptop wearing yoga pants and an old top with stains on it, doesn't feel like a success herself?  What if I look in my closet and because of the weight I have gained, I don't have anything to wear that I feel like I look successful in?  What if, instead of writing a donation, I feel like I should be the "poster girl" for the organization and maybe they could do a makeover on me tonight as proof that they can transform the untransformable?

 

Ok, maybe I'm a little melodramatic, but today I am feeling far from being a success.  What does it mean to be a success anyway?  For the vast majority of my life I have been a stay-at-home-mom.  When I accepted this blessing and the reality that this would be the hardest job I would ever undertake, I also accepted the fact that I would not be getting stellar job reviews with bonuses or pay increases for my hard work.  I would not be getting paid in cash for my tireless work hours.  There would be no "Number #1 Mommy of the Year" award plaques.  I was paid in much different dividends.

 

Still, I remember saying to others, "If my children grow up to have a close and intimate relationship and walk with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then I will consider myself a success."  Sounds like a great way to define success...right?  No, it wasn't cash in the bank, but it would be proof that I had done something right.  In seeking after that goal, I raised my children in the church.  I taught them scripture and tried to instill good values in them.  Jokingly, they used to call me "Bible Lady" because I had a scripture to go with just about any situation.

 

But here I am 28 years later and one of my children loves and walks with the Lord...the other does not. They are both children raised in an age of entitlement.  Am I not a success because I missed the mark that I shot for? 

 

Before I had children, I had a high paying, high profile job.  I wore business suits and pumps and even carried a briefcase.  One might say I was successful.  When my children were older I taught in a private Christian school and then in a Christian preschool.  I was helping to teach and raise up the next generation with a love of the Lord.  I thought I was successful.  Now, several surgeries later, I am an unemployed teacher/writer who owns multiple pairs of yoga pants.

 

My dreams of being a successful wife came crashing down around me when my first husband left.  My spirit was crushed and I felt like a miserable failure.  Definitely not success.  After a period in the desert, God blessed me with a wonderful husband and I have tried to return the blessing with a servant's heart.  This morning we had an argument that dragged up some of the baggage I still carry.  Maybe as a wife, I am still not a success??

 

Needless to say, I am under attack by the enemy today.  I've allowed him to get a foothold and he is scaling my fortress.  He knows the very buttons to push and the rhetoric to whisper into my head that will leave me feeling defeated and paralyzed - right where he wants me. 

 

These are my red flags that I need to not just walk, but run unto the Lord.  

 

What does His Word say?

 

King David, who was about to die, says to his son Solomon, "Do what the Lord your God commands and follow his teachings.  Obey everything written in the Law of Moses.  Then you will be a success, no matter what you do or where you go."  (1 Kings 2:3)

 

That was the definition of "success" in the Old Testament...still good principles to live by, but we are now under the New Covenant. 

 

In the New Testament Jesus declared the greatest commandment:

 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no commandment greater than these."  (Mark 12:30-31)

 

Might this be the Biblical definition of "success"???

 

I let the words wash over me...nowhere does it say that my children have to walk with the Lord in order for me to be successful.  That was my self-imposed measureable goal.

 

Nowhere does it say I have to be the perfect wife, mother, daughter, friend.

 

Nowhere does it say I have to write a best selling book.

 

We set such high and complicated expectations of ourselves in order to feel successful, when really what God asks is rather simple...

 

Love God...

 

Love others as you love yourself...

 

And, the best part is that He doesn't expect us to do this perfectly.  In fact He knows we can't.  He's given us the key that starts the whole progression.

 

Receive the gift of salvation----->Transformation begins----->It's a process perfected by the work of the Holy Spirit----->We focus on and love the Giver of the gifts and pass those gifts on to others----->Success.

 

Though I am somewhat skeptical of online answers to Biblical questions...I liked what "Got Questions Ministries" had to say on the topic of "Success":

 

"Picture two hands.  In the right hand there are the offer of true contentment, the ability to handle life's problems without being overcome by them, amazing peace that sees us through all circumstances, wisdom to know what to do, knowledge and constant direction for life, love for others, acceptance of ourselves, joy no matter what, and at the end of life, an eternity with the God who freely gives all these gifts.  The other hand holds all the money and power and success the world has to offer, without any of what the right hand holds.  Which would you choose?  The Bible says, 'Where your treasure is, there also is your heart' (Matthew 6:21).  That which is in the right hand is the biblical definition of success."

 

Dear Lord, thank you for your promise that if I am in You, I am a new creation.  Help me not to define my success by the world's definition of success or even by my own definition.  Enable me to recognize the enemy's schemes and, in your power, bid him to get away from me.  Lord, I love you!  You are the giver of all good gifts.  Let me pass your love on to others and let that be my definition of success.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

 

Be blessed...

 

 

ps. Update on Redeemer Christian School:  Funds are still desperately needed to keep the doors of the school open.  The government and the few Christian schools that there are all charge tuition.  We offer a free education, sound Biblical teaching, and most of all HOPE to the poorest of the poor, the orphans and destitute children right smack dab in the epicenter of evil.  Please consider sending a contribution today that tells these children that they matter...

 

Send to:  Bev Rihtarchik/RCS

                103 Silver Lining Lane

                Cary, NC  27513

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Chance At Winning

Hey Friend,

 

I stood in line at the Customer Service desk at the grocery store.  I studied the man in front of me.  He looked rather disheveled.  His sneakers were old and tired; there were rips in his jeans.  He had a scruffy beard and a tattered shirt.  I could tell by his friendly banter with the customer service gal that he came here often.  Calmly, he laid down twenty five dollars in cash for lottery tickets.  I know the odds of winning the lottery are a zillion to one, but yet he regularly played.

 

When I was a teen, without me knowing it, my aunt somehow entered me in a beauty pageant.  I don't even recall which pageant it was - I just thankfully remember there was no swimsuit contest.  I do remember having this "push me, pull you" reaction to being entered.  I had always poked fun at these silly contests, but now that I was in one, I secretly hoped to win.  Isn't that crazy?  I appreciate my aunt's confidence in me, but once I got to the actual pageant, I realized that there were seasoned veterans of pageants there.  These girls were competitors and they were in it to win it. 

 

I had the wholesome looks of the "girl next door", but I was no rare beauty. I was Miss Congeniality material.  Total aside here, but I love it when Gracie Lou gives her answer in the namesake movie.  When asked why New Jersey is known as the "Garden State" she sarcastically replies, "Because the oil and petro-chemical refinery state wouldn't fit on the license plate."  Love that line! Much to the disdain of some of the seasoned girls I finished in the top ten finalists.  I have a dust covered trophy, buried somewhere in the attic, to prove it lol.

 

But, is there a contest that we not only have a shot at winning, we can actually be assured that we will win the prize if only we persevere?

 

"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 3: 13-14)

 

I am a studier of words.  In the Greek, the words "press on" are translated as "dioko" which means to pursue, or strive, or chase.  Dioko can also be translated as "to persecute"...hmmm...interesting.  Might it mean that we pursue the prize though persecuted along the way?  I wonder?  And what is this prize?  In those days it was laurel wreath crown...a prize for winning a footrace.   

 

Many times in scripture, our journey of faith is compared to a footrace. 

 

As Paul is waiting to die, he writes to the young Timothy: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."  (2 Timothy 4:7)  and what does Paul tell Timothy that awaits him for his fight - his finishing the course? "The crown of righteousness". 

 

My daughter has been training to enter and run her first half-marathon race.  When I asked her what her goal was, she said she was not in it to win it, but wanted to finish the race in a respectable time and also to be able to  say that she completed it.  (I can see the 13.1 sticker on her car now).  My husband, a cross country competitor in high school and college, in the hills of Western Pennsylvania, will tell you that those races took dedication and perseverance.

 

But, what if the prize has already been guaranteed?  What if we knew for sure, that if we persevered, we would surely win the prize?  Is there a chance at winning this race?

 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."  (John 3:16)

 

What if the "prize" is actually a gift that we just need to receive?  What if the ultimate race has already been won by Christ on the cross, and we need only to believe and we will receive the crown of eternal life?

 

What if our job is to simply finish the race?

 

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who Love Him.  (James 1:12)

 

Jesus stands at the door of our heart and knocks.  He does not force His way in.  We must be the one who opens it.

 

We may not like the rules

 

We may not want to relinquish control

 

We may think we are doing just fine on our own

 

But, what if we just believe Him and love Him?  What do the scriptures promise?

 

Not only a chance of winning, but the guarantee of the prize.

 

Now there's a race I want to run.  Not only is there a sure chance at winning.  Not only is there eternal life guaranteed, there is grace, peace, mercy, forgiveness, joy, and all the fruits of the Spirit.  To me this is a no-brainer!

 

What kind of love says, "Here, the ultimate sacrifice has been made.  It is finished!  The race has been won.  Just finish the race and love Me and the prize is yours for the asking?" 

 

The answer is...God's kind of love...

 

Lord, I am overcome with gratitude for your radical kind of love.  Thank you for the sacrifice you made, so that if I believe, persevere, and finish this race of life and faith, the prize is mine.  Though I may lose battles along the way, the ultimate victory is mine because of what you did for me.  Thank you for loving me enough to die for me.  Let me graciously accept the gift of eternal life, the crown of righteousness that you freely offer to me.  Blessed be Your name.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen.

 

 

Be blessed...

 

ps.  Update on Redeemer Christian School:  Please pray for the safety of the director, the teachers, and the children.  Just recently a young boy lost his battle for life after he was burned alive in the streets of Lahore, Pakistan because he confessed to being a Christian.  Now, more than ever funds are needed to help this small, but mighty school win out with its message of love in the epicenter of evil. 

 

Send contributions to:  Bev Rihtarchik/RCS

                                       103 Silver Lining Lane

                                       Cary, NC  27513

Thank you...

 

Also, if you subscribe to my blog - that's all you will get is my weekly blog!  When you subscribe you will receive a confirmation email that you must respond "Yes" to.  This is for your protection.

 

If you have something on your heart that you would like me to specifically pray for, please feel free to contact me...

The Journey From Head to Heart Knowledge

Hey Friend,

 

Sometimes I am disappointed that my "testimony" is...well...boring.  I have no dramatic stories of hitting rock bottom on drugs or alcohol.  I wasn't a runaway teen who got pregnant.  I have no story of God scraping me off the bottom of the barrel and suddenly seeing the light.  Though I celebrate these miraculous stories...it isn't my story.

 

I grew up in the church.  For as long as I can remember, we went to church every Sunday unless we were deathly ill.  I'd be sitting in the car, in the driveway, with my dad, with the engine running.  Impatiently he would ask, "What on earth is your mother doing?"  This was the Sunday morning routine.  In Sunday school I learned all the famous Bible stories.  As I grew older I was involved with youth group and choir and confirmation class.  Church is where I went every Sunday and Wednesday. I was the "good girl"...or a goody two shoes as we were known as back then.

 

I knew that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a manger, that he grew up in the church, that he taught and performed many miraculous signs, and he ultimately died on the cross for my sins.  The only problem was, it was all "head" knowledge.  I knew the truth, but it didn't set me free.  I still tried as hard as I could to be good enough in God's eyes in my own strength. 

 

Someone said to me that it is more difficult to be saved from a place of pride than from a place of desperation with nowhere to turn.

 

But, wait, I wasn't prideful.  I wasn't haughty or arrogant or rude.  No, but I didn't have a full grasp of my need for a Savior.  I didn't commit heinous crimes; I did good deeds. Even in college I never "colored too far outside the lines".  What I didn't realize was that perfectionism, striving, trying to be good enough, trying to be perfect, are all rooted in the same thing - pride.  I somehow thought I had to earn my salvation or add to what Jesus had already done for me.  It wasn't about Him, it was about me.

 

When we fail to realize that, through Christ, not through ourselves, that it is "finished", we only have head knowledge. 

 

Even my view of God was askew.  I could relate to Jesus smiling in my Sunday school books, beckoning the little children to come to him.  But, God...I transferred my human understanding of a father onto him.  My dad, though a wonderful provider, was a disciplinarian.  He was a no-nonsense kind of guy who could often be critical.  There weren't a whole lot of warm fuzzies so I had trouble grasping that God delighted in me.  I had a healthy sense of fear of my dad and I transferred that onto God.

 

Jesus, however, I was smitten with.  When I was 13 years old in summer camp, I wandered away from the campfire.  Lying on my back and gazing at a sky filled with thousands of stars, I knew I needed His love, Jesus' love, in my life.  His was the love that I had so longed for. I invited Him into my heart.

 

That night head knowledge began its journey toward my heart.

 

Fast forward to the birth of my first child.  I was so looking forward to the birth of this baby.  We had waited four years after being married and were ready to welcome this miracle into our family.  What I didn't count on was that I would be slammed with a terrible case of post-partum depression.  It was also then that my OCD anxiety rocketed off the charts.  Depressed, anxious, not sleeping, not eating, in pure desperation I cried out to the Jesus of my Sunday school books. 

 

It was at this point, I recall crying into my pillow, "Jesus, help me!"  I knew I needed saving...I knew I needed a Savior.

 

I call this chapter in my faith, the chapter where the "rubber meets the road".  That day my faith took a big step closer to my heart.

 

Jesus answered in a big way.  I also started to believe Jesus' claim - that if you have seen me (Jesus) then you have seen my Father. God's essence is lovingkindness!

 

I could write a novel of the trials I've been through...further bouts with OCD/depression, secondary infertility, divorce, cancer scare, multiple surgeries...

 

Each time I called out to Jesus and once I knew I had God's love through the sacrificial offering of His son, I began to realize that I didn't have to keep earning God's love.  Each time, my faith took steps away from my head and toward my heart.

 

I have come to truly appreciate the verse Hebrews 12:2:

 

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

 

My faith didn't even begin with me...it was a gift from Jesus.  In Hebrew, the translation for "perfecter" means "completer" or "finisher".  Jesus, as God, is the one who creates and sustains and finishes my faith.

 

When I depend on Jesus, He continues to guide my head knowledge to my heart.

 

"He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."  (Philippians 1:6)

 

I take heart that the journey to heart knowledge is a process and in the process lies the promise of completion by our Savior.  My salvation was secured on the cross when Christ said, "It is finished."  And my faith, which Christ began, will be finished on the day when He returns.

 

Like Jesus had no way of detouring around the cross (He had to go through it), we have fears to face and trials to go through.  We can't detour around them; we have to go through them.  The miracle is, that as we go through them our faith will take one step away from our head, and one step closer toward our heart.

 

Lord, I thank you so much for the gift of faith that you began in me and for your promise that you will be faithful to complete it.  Help me to set aside my striving and my trying to be good enough in your eyes and to realize that God sees me as perfect through your blood that was shed on the cross.  Truly it is finished.  In the process of my faith being perfected, let me come to depend more and more on you.  You, and you alone are my Savior.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen

 

 

be blessed...

 

ps.  Update on Redeemer Christian School:  For safety reasons I am hesitant to put too much information out on social media.  Let me just say that we are in desperate need of financial support.  Out of fear for their lives, many Christians have had to abandon their jobs.  Our school's director who depended on his income and savings (along with our support) from another job to support the school, now has no financial means to support himself or the school. For now, it is up to us.  We need financial help to enable him to secure a foreign work visa as well as funds to see to the ongoing expenses of the school.  The children are safe, but if you would PLEASE pray for the safety of our director and the school and for a way to be made for him to secure an income, I would be so grateful. If you are able...and time is of the essence...please send a donation to keep the school afloat. I know our God is able to bring beauty from these ashes of evil, violence, and terror.

 

Send check or money to:  Bev Rihtarchik/RCS

                                           103 Silver Lining Lane

                                           Cary, NC  27513

 

This is something tangible we CAN do to combat the evil that is rampant in our world.  The orphaned and impoverished children at RCS need our help...thanks!

 

When Everywhere You Turn There's Trouble

Hey Friend,

I lie in my bed and the slow whining begins.  I look at the clock and it's 4 am.  I know what's coming...the whining will continue until it crescendos into a full fledged agitated bark.  I try not to be angry or upset; after all, my senior gal Zoe just recently escaped a life threatening battle with severe pancreatitis.  She has doggie dementia and periods of agitated barking punctuate my day.  I know she can't help it.  I love her dearly, but it's hard to start each day this way.

Half asleep I get the coffee going and notice the ants are still here.  Under my breath, I curse them, "There's no crumbs here; go away!"  Four visits from the pest control company and we can't conquer these tiny giants.  I step on Topper's squeaky duck accidentally and, startled, I spill my coffee.  I wonder if he'll bring me a dead squirrel as a prize like he did the other day?

I robotically take my medicine for depression and ocd/anxiety that I have taken for many years.  Like Paul, I ask God many times to take away the thorn, but yet it remains.  Right now it (anxiety) is flaring due to exhaustion and stress. Pouring a bowl of cereal feels like climbing Mt. Everest on days like these.  I look at the long list of to do's for the day and sigh as I brush aside the dust that continues to build on my counters.

It's time to walk the dogs.  I slip one excruciating foot into my sneaker (the only shoes I can tolerate).  After months of waiting, the specialist told me I have a rare post-surgical nerve disorder that will require burning, freezing or cutting of the nerve.  None of the options sound fun.  My son texts me to tell me he's lost his temporary tooth (awaiting dental surgery).  He's at work so he asks me, please,  to make an appointment this morning to get him in at the dentist.  Of course I will have to drive him (another long story).  "Sure, I'll try," I say.

After juggling my schedule and dropping him back at work, I set in on my day's task of helping my "son-in-Christ" work on his resume.  I will make calls trying to help get him a life-saving work visa to get out of the epicenter of evil that is the Middle East.  He fears for his life because they are rounding up Christians, beating and torturing them, throwing them in jail for long sentences or killing them.  Every day he faces this evil and every day I tearfully try to turn my worry about him over to the Lord. 

Sure, I could go on...but do you ever have that feeling like everywhere you turn there's nothing easy, but only trouble?  It's the continual piling up of difficulties that leaves me feeling like I'm in quicksand and will never get out.  I'm afraid to look around the next corner for fear of what it might hold.  I feel small and helpless and afraid. 

"God calls us to hard places to prove our inadequacy."  (Shannan Martin)

I am a doer, a fixer, an initiator and God has brought my prideful self to a total place of inadequacy.

The one verse that keeps repeating in my head is 2 Corinthians 12:9:

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

I know that the Lord is speaking here, but to whom is He speaking and why?  I go digging. 

Interestingly enough, in this passage, Paul is talking to the church in Corinth and he has just described asking the Lord to take away "this thorn in his flesh".  Like my ocd, Paul had something the Lord decided not to take away.  Instead the Lord says to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

If we are too self-sufficient, pride and conceit begin to build.  God is not glorified when man boasts of his own power and does things in his own strength.  No, God's power is made perfect in our weakness.

Paul goes on to say, "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, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So why have I told you all my troubles?  Not for pity, but so that when God brings beauty from these ashes (and He will) that He will be glorified, not me.  Also, read the words "so that". I boast in my weakness so that Christ's power may rest on me.  My admitting my weakness, my inadequacy provides the ideal opportunity for the display of divine power.  Power comes when I admit my weakness.

When I reach the end of my self-sufficiency rope, it sends me running back into the arms of my Heavenly Father.

I come from a long line of stubbornness and I will try with all my might to do things in my power until I finally get to the end of my rope and there's nothing to grasp but thin air.  It is then, when I am weak and inadequate that I know I have no where else to go but to run into the arms of the Lord. 

It is in dependence and reliance on Him that I find strength and peace.

It is under His wings that I find my refuge...

This Easter I will find my strength and my adequacy in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.  The power with which He overcame the grave and the power with which He defeats evil once and for all is power that is given to me by His death on the cross.  The power is mine for the asking...I need only lay down my pride.

Dear Jesus, thank you for being my very present help in times of trouble.  Thank you that in my weakness you are strong; in my inadequacy, You are sufficient.  Thank you for always being there with open arms when I get to the end of myself.  Erase my pride so that I might glorify You.  Thank you for what you did for me on the cross.  I love you Lord. To you be the power and glory forever.  Amen.

Be blessed...

ps.  Please, please continue to pray that God would place a hedge of protection around the school and its director.  Religious tensions are beyond "high" right now.  The good news is that Muslims are becoming disillusioned by their faith and are asking to get their hands on "The Book" in order to read what it has to say about "Issa" (Jesus) and His very different message about love, grace, and forgiveness.  God is good and His message of love, not violence, will triumph!