Thankful for Weakness?

This is going to be a convoluted kind of God visit.  It sort of combines 3 separate visits, all linked together by our amazing God.

Let's start with last night.  I had my usual struggle at work, and I think the only thing that kept me complaining less was the fact that I really didn't feel good, so I was quieter !! LOL  How ridiculous is that!!  Anyways, as I drove home I was once again repenting for complaining.  God brought to my attention (thank you, thank you, thank you Lord!) a few things I had done well that day and I felt Him showing me that this was progress to celebrate.  Instead of once again lamenting and rehashing all my failures of the day, He wanted me to rejoice with Him over the victories!!  What does that tell you about our God?!?!?!

Ok, onward to an email I received from a dear sister in the Lord today.  She sent the day's devotion from Charles Stanley's "In Touch".  I will paste it here so you can read it for yourselves.  It's really great!

                                           "Who is your Master?"

James 4:7-10  Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you doubleminded.  Lament and mourn and weep!   Let your laughter be turned to  mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

No man or woman is absolutely free. Romans 6:16 says we are slaves of whomever we obey—slaves either of sin or of obedience to the Lord. Because every human is born with a fallen nature, being the master of our own life is the same as being enslaved to sin.

Our heavenly Father’s prescription for this unhealthy situation is submission to Him. But we often think to ourselves, If I give the Lord control, then I lose it—and that’s scary. God could lead me somewhere I don’t want to go.

When fear seeps into your heart, stop and consider the Lord’s character and motives. He is holy and sinless; He has infinite wisdom, perfect knowledge, and an eternal perspective; He loves you and has the power to work all things for your good (Gen. 50:20). Now compare your credentials to His. Who do you think would make a better master of your life?

If the Lord is to have full authority, all rival rulers must be dethroned. The Holy Spirit will not fill believers who tolerate sin in their lives. The grace of God covers the guilt of our transgressions, but it cannot be used to excuse continued disobedience (Rom. 6:1-2). We grieve the Spirit when we say yes to sin and stifle Him when we say no to God (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19).

Don’t let yourself be discouraged by the magnitude of this call to submission. None of us can attain sinless perfection on earth, but each time we take a step of obedience, sin’s hold on us will lessen. Press on—you’ll soon begin to live in the freedom of enslavement to the most amazing Master you've ever known.

I could see how this lined up with last nights encounter.  Submission.  Did I do it perfectly?  No.  Am I pressing on?  Yes.  Obedience seems to come in stages.  As it says in the devotion, this is not an excuse to continue in sin, but neither was I to be condemned.  I am forgiven and I am growing, step by baby step.

Moving forward to this morning's "31 Days of Praise" entry.  And this is a really big revelation for me.  Something I don't really think I have ever seriously considered (even in reading this book for years), or maybe it's just that today it was considered in the heart instead of the head, and I felt it and meant what I prayed down to my very core.

Today's praise was based in giving God thanks for our weaknesses.  Imagine that!!!  "I choose to thank You for my weaknesses, my infirmities, my inadequacies....for the ways I fall short of what people view as ideal....and that in Your infinite wisdom You have allowed these in my life so that they may contribute to Your high purposes for me."  WHAAAT!!!   My sins, my weak areas, my bad habits, and dumb mistakes, all allowed, all used by God in HIS wisdom. ALL?!?!?!  Bring this back up to the "In Touch" reading, "...consider the Lord's character and motives.  He is holy and sinless.  He infinite wisdom and perfect knowledge, and an eternal perspective..."  This includes His allowing the imperfections in my life, my sin, the areas I struggle with desperately to remain.  If there was not a reason, those things would not be here.

And today, for the first time, I got down on my knees and purposefully, heartfeltedly (yes, I know it is not a real word), in all honesty, gave thanks for these weaknesses.  I truly offered gratitude for them to the Lord.  If the parts of me that are displeasing to Him and myself, my complaining, by disbelief, my overeating, anger, to name a few, were not a necessity at this time, He would have removed them instantly.  But for some reason my Father is keeping them part of me, and we are working on these areas of sin and struggle slowly.

Maybe this is a bit of a radical idea.  I am not seeing this as a license for bad behavior or saying I should just keep going along the wrong way.  No.  It is my job to keep cooperating with the Holy Spirit, keep working at growing and improving, moving forward to become more and more Christ-like.  But I am feeling like God has a reason for the road I am on, and everything that is on that road, even the stuff I don't like about myself and that it is my job to trust Him, trust His timing and His ways. Is not trusting and giving thanks submitting to God?   Trusting God's character and plan...that is obedience to Romans 8:28. Thankfulness, obedience to 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Romans 8:28  And now we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

From "31 Days of Praise":  "Thank You that I can trust You to remove or change any of my weaknesses and handicaps and shortcomings the moment they are no longer needed for Your glory, and for my good, and for the good of other people...and that in the meantime, Your grace is sufficient for me, for Your strength is made perfect in my weakness."

I hope this encourages someone today.  Know that even our most desperate sins, our deepest stains are something God will use for beauty in our lives.  I pray that we continue to run the race, strive to be the overcomers He has made us. Lord, help us to submit in every area of our lives to You, to step by step follow in Christ-like obedience Your leading.  But also Lord, help us to celebrate even the smallest of victories and allow Your perfect timing in our lives to have it's way.