Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. 

- Joshua 1:9

Mornings at my house are for real crazy.

I have 5 kids to get off to school. And, unlike the Brady family, we don’t have a maid named Alice. We’re anything but a well-oiled machine. Sadly, my younger two boys can tend to get lost somewhere in the chaos between packing lunches, eating breakfast, finding pants, and doing hair. In the absence of enough time and oversight, they’ve walked out the door many a day with unbrushed teeth, no socks, and still in yesterday’s shirt (#momfail). 

Earlier this week, I called upstairs to my youngest, Silas, to tell him it was waaaay past time to go. In the midst of our hurry, he came downstairs completely beside himself, crying. He actually said, “This is too much pressure. I can’t make my bed right. And, I never will.” Oh buddy. He must have heard me telling the older kids that they needed to actually do a good job of making their beds. He applied their standard to himself, and just failed miserably. Clearly, he’d tried really hard to do a good job. But, it’s a bunk bed, and only fairy godmothers, wizards, and other magical folk can actually make a perfect bunk bed. Consequently, this 6 year old muggle was feeling the full force of his failure. He tried to go it alone, but he just didn’t have what it takes to make it happen. 

In much the same way, we adults are constantly hearing this message, “You’re good enough, you're strong enough. Just tap into your inner strength, and you can tackle any obstacle.” On a good day, when the sun is shining, this message feels like a solid rock we can stand on. However, when the storms come, and we find ourselves in over our heads, this “rock” of a message only serves to pull us under the waves. We realize in those scary moments that we really aren’t strong enough, smart enough, or resourceful enough on our own. We need someone to reach down and help us out of the raging waters.  

But, let’s get back to making the bed. I didn’t leave Silas on his own to fail, but now I help him each day with his task of making the bed. He simply needed to ask me for help, and I am so glad to give it. 

Just like Silas, we don’t have all the resources we need to face our every task. In fact, we were designed that way intentionally. We were made with inherent weakness so that we would seek God for help and find our strength in him. It’s precisely because we get in over our heads that we so often seek God. He’s been right there with us all along,  just waiting for us to ask for help.  

• What challenges are you facing today?
• Are you being weighed down with the message of personal inner strength?
• How does the message that God is willing to give you strength change your perspective?