Give Up Or Go On?

Little Margie was having a difficult time learning to skate. It seemed as though the skates her father gave her far exceeded the strength and coordination of her legs and muscles. A neighbor watched her fall down and get up, then fall down and get up again. He was amazed at her tenacity and determination. Finally, he said to her, “Why don’t you give up?”

“Because,” she said with tears in her eyes, “my father didn’t give me these skates to give up with but to go on with.”

How like our Heavenly Father. He does not “give” gifts to us to cause us to fall, but to help us “go” with Him and grow into the likeness of His Son, our Savior. We speak often about Paul’s “affliction” - not ever knowing what it was or the problems it may have caused him personally. But we do know that he said, “So I am glad to boast about my weaknesses...for when I am weak, then I can become strong.”

The great lesson for us to learn from Paul is that if and when we are willing to admit our weakness, God will fill us with His power and strength. There is always the temptation for us to try to “do it on our own.” It is a natural thing to do. But that is not how God created us. God created us with needs and deficiencies so we would need to depend on Him for everything.

Prayer: Father, give us a willingness to recognize our need for You, and that in You, with You, and through You, we can overcome any weakness that may defeat us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.