Pep Talk

Throughout my life, God has blessed me with incredible people.  Friends, Coaches, Teachers, Youth Leaders, Pastors, family, I’m super grateful for each of them as they’ve blessed me in different and very specific ways.

But for this devotional, I have been blessed by my wife, Grace.  As I’m trying to start this devotional, she kept pulling my hands away from the keyboard to give me a pep talk. I said, “Babe! Let me just write down a verse!”  I typed 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, and then turned to her like, “What?”

She proceeded to give me a really good pep talk about a few things going on in my life.  She was telling me of the various gifts I have, but that I really struggle when I doubt myself.  

But she didn’t give me the pep talk directly, instead she told Silas to hold my face and spoke through him to me.  “Look at Daddy’s eyes.  Now say, ‘Daddy.  You are my Daddy.  I love you.  You are empowered’.” 

I held Silas’ face, and said something very similar back, “Son, you are my son. I love you so much!” and the three of us laughed.   They said good night to me, and now I’m here, picking right where I left off.  

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.10For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It’s crazy how I typed out just “2 Cor 12:9-10”, and then God spoke through Grace through Silas to get through to me!  God put that verse on my heart, yet my heart was not ready to write about it.  Grace & Silas spoke to me about my gifts, but that there was doubt, and doubt was my weakness (among other things).  When they said I was empowered, I didn’t quite know what that meant exactly, but then when I got to re-read this verse, it all clicked.  I’m empowered by the Holy Spirit, by the power of Christ, especially in my weaknesses. 

So obviously, I’m grateful for my wife and two boys.  (Elijah gave me a much needed hug before the pep talk too.  The kind of hug that says, “I miss you Dad, why don’t you get a week off like Mommy, Silas, and I do?”) 

But I’m also grateful for my weaknesses.  They keep me humble, and remind me of where I need to depend on God.  The weaknesses are an opportunity to see God’s miraculous power.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Zane