Devotionals for the Heart: God's Strength is Perfect and He is Enough

Motherhood, Plans and Perfect Strength
A devotional by Amanda Wen

“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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” ~2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

My whole life, I’ve been able to do pretty much anything I set my mind to. Good grades, musical achievements, college scholarships, you name it. Studying, preparing, practicing, and Doing All The Right Things, combined with the natural talents God gave me, meant I could usually meet the lofty goals I set for myself.

And then, ten years ago this month, I became a mom.

Motherhood was radically different from anything this overachieving Type A control freak had ever experienced. The All-Natural Drug-Free Peaceful Birthing Experience I’d planned ended in a medically necessary C-section. My plan to nurse exclusively ran up against the dual roadblocks of low milk supply from me and a less-than-ideal latch from my darling son. My vision of rocking a contented sleeping baby was dashed against the rocky reality of colic. Despite all my hard work, preparation, and Doing All The Right Things, nothing turned out the way I expected.

But even worse for this hormonal, postpartum mama? The discovery that I do not have a natural talent for mothering. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my newborn son more than anything. But that zing that comes from when God’s gifting perfectly intersects with His calling on your life? That didn’t happen for me. All those things that seemed to come naturally to other mothers, things like rocking and playing and soothing and comforting, those things I thought were intuitive for all mothers? Many of those were the exact opposite for me.

However—and this was something I didn’t realize until years later—that was okay. Because God was with me. He was guiding me even when I couldn’t see it or feel it. And, as 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, His strength was being made perfect in my weakness.

God kept me going during all those sleepless nights. He provided strength and endurance when my son wouldn’t stop crying. He provided my caring, supportive, patient, and incredibly laid-back husband. He sent a passel of friends to stop in with meals, advice, an extra pair of hands, and a listening ear. And, after six months or so, He provided a way for us to move to my hometown to be closer to family, a decision for which I’ve been grateful countless times for countless reasons.

For the last ten years, my number one fear has been that I won’t be a good enough mom. But I’ve recently realized that, on my own, I’m not a good enough mom. I never was, and I never will be. But, again, that is okay. Because I have God. And He is enough.

Philippians 4:13 is a very popular verse, but I think it can be misinterpreted. Sometimes we want to make it a rubber stamp, a catch-all for following our hearts and chasing our dreams and assuming Jesus will enable us to do it all. But the verse in context is actually about contentment. About how, even when Paul was at his wits’ end and things weren’t going as he planned and he was dealing with the mysterious thorn in his side that God refused to remove, he had peace. Joy. He’d learned the secret of being okay whether he had everything or nothing, when things were awesome and when they weren’t: he could endure because God was with him. Making perfect his weaknesses and filling in the gaps with His strength. Enabling Paul to fulfill God’s plan, not his own.

He does that with us, too.

So now, ten years down the road, I’m grateful motherhood didn’t come naturally to me. Not being able to do it on my own forced me—in the best possible way—to become totally dependent on God for the ability to care for my children. Ten years ago—and every day since—he’s come through for me. His strength has been made perfect in my weakness.

What areas of your life don’t come naturally to you? I’d love to hear about them in the comments, and to pray for God’s supernatural strength to be evident in your situation. 

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Author Bio:

Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of contemporary inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. 

A first place winner in the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest, she also placed first in the 2017 Phoenix Rattler Contest, the 2017 Great Expectations Contest, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions Contest, among others. In addition, she was a finalist in the 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest. 

Amanda is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She’s also been spotted onstage with the worship team at recent ACFW conferences. Amanda is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

In addition to her writing, Amanda maintains an active and rewarding career as a freelance cellist, frequently performing with symphony orchestras, string quartets, and her church’s worship team. She lives in the Midwest with her amazing husband and their three adorable and hilarious Wenlets.

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Connect with Amanda:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoramandawen

Twitter: www.twitter.com/authoramandawen
Instagram: www.instagram.com/authoramandawen
Website: www.amandawen.com

Devotional by Laura Thomas on the blessings of inconvenience

The Beauty of Thorns
A devotional by Laura Thomas

“The enemy would have us so blinded by the pain of the thorn that we can’t see the beauty of the rose garden.” ~Ruth Chou Simons

Have you ever picked a rose and been unexpectedly pricked by a whacking great thorn on the stem? I have. Multiple times. You’d think I would know better, but still, I go back to my rosebush enraptured by the beauty of the flower, only to be jolted by that painful little thorn again.

In the big scheme of things, having one’s finger punctured by a thorn is not exactly disastrous, but “thorns in our flesh” can take many forms. The Apostle Paul spoke of his particular thorn and there are many opinions as to whether it was anything from malaria to poor eyesight to epilepsy—regardless, it was a huge issue to Paul as he called it a “messenger of Satan”. Why did God allow him to endure this wretched inconvenience? Why does God allow us to have our own thorns marring the beautiful rose garden of our lives?

“My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” 

~2 Corinthians 12:9a (The Message)

These thorns, these pesky pressures, pain, and problems that simply won’t go away, won’t budge they are so deeply embedded, these thorns are there for a reason. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially if it causes debilitating results or a stressful existence. For some, it’s a slight annoyance but for others it’s major, and I don’t want to belittle that. It’s HARD. And yet…

When life is peachy and everything is going perfectly without a hint of anxiety or grief, pain or distress, do we still come to God on our knees desperate for His touch? When every day is gloriously easy-breezy and finances and health are in tip-top condition, do we rely wholly on God for our daily bread and every breath? Surely, we are in danger of becoming totally self-sufficient and even a little self-absorbed.

Oh, how the tide turns when we are in thorny peril! Suddenly we find ourselves praying more, feverishly searching the Scriptures for a word of hope, reaching out to our Heavenly Father because we admit that we NEED Him.

Yes, I’m needy. Are you? It’s okay. Actually, that’s a good thing.

Because of our weaknesses, our thorns, we are able to acknowledge our need for Jesus. This need runs deep and it’s necessary for our growth in Him. It’s our weakness that grows our faith immeasurably because only His grace is enough.

That’s it. His grace at work in our lives. When everything is hunky-dory and plain-sailing, we go on our merry way perhaps with an occasional nod and wave in God’s direction. But that’s not growth or faith or hope or trust. When I lay everything, even my thorns at the feet of Jesus and cry out for help:

“I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”

~2 Corinthians 10:12b (The Message)

That’s why we have our thorny issues, it’s actually for our good and so that somehow in some way God can be glorified. I cringe when I say that because it may not feel particularly “good” at the time, but I’ve seen lives utterly transformed by thorns. And sometimes we forget that Jesus is an expert on pain. There is no thorn that he does not comprehend— He has complete empathy.

On the cross, wearing that mocking crown fashioned with the sharpest of thorns, he endured every pain and ever sorrow for us.

He knows pain, friend. And he offers grace to us, that we might find our strength in Him alone. We NEED Him. And by His grace, we are not blinded or distracted by the pain of the thorns— but rather, we look ahead and see the beauty of the rose garden of eternity that is to come.

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Author Bio:

Laura is a published Christian author with a heart for inspiring and encouraging readers of all ages. 

She is truly multi-genre—with a published Christian teen fiction trilogy, marriage book, children’s stories, devotionals for Union Gospel Press, musings on her blog, and she now has a literary agent representing her Christian romantic suspense novel. 

Laura is English and Canadian, married to her high school sweetheart, mom of three, passionate about faith and family…and chocolate!

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Connect with Laura:
Website - www.laurathomasauthor.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Laura-Thomas-183771121724664/?ref=hl
Twitter - https://twitter.com/laura_thomas_
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lauracthomas/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/lauracthomas/

Words of Faith: Laurie's story about God's unconditional love

All We Need
A Words of Faith story written by Laurie Tomlinson 

“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 

~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)~

For most of my upbringing, my people-pleasing, perfectionist nature permeated every aspect of life—including my faith. The strategy was to do all I could to please the Lord, and the only messages I believed said I could never do enough to be in right standing with God.

Just like I obsessed over studying to make good grades, I obsessed over doing all the things to be a good Christian. Reading my Bible, praying, going to church every time the doors were open, and practically running to answer every altar call so I could ask for forgiveness.

Now I know that God doesn’t work like that.

That false picture of God I had painted told a story of distance instead of intimacy. Of a love that was granted with disclaimers instead of no questions asked. And when I fell asleep praying, zoned out during a sermon, and couldn’t make sense of my Bible reading, I wondered: If I couldn’t be perfect, why try at all? I went through the motions—still concerned with appeasing the people in my life who would notice—but I didn’t value a connection with God.

In this Instagram-filtered culture that glorifies busy, I think it’s easy to miss the point. It’s easy to think that faith is a series of pics-or-it-didn’t-happen hoops to jump through. That God is a wish-granting genie in the sky who holds us to an unattainable standard of perfection.

But just like the adolescent version of me, we’re all giving ourselves too much credit.

I’m grateful for a high school teacher who helped me realize that righteousness, holiness—the ability to go to heaven, for that matter—don’t have anything to do with anything we do. The blood of Christ, the ultimate sacrifice made because of His great love, is the only thing that makes it possible.

Kind of takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?

Once I understood the depth of that love, it was a game-changer. It was inspiring. It was transforming. It turned faith from a series of rules to a relationship that never changed no matter how much I failed. And the amazing thing is, our human understanding can’t even begin to scratch the surface of that love.

Now my goal is not perfection but to live in a way that focuses less on what I do and more on the bridge between Christ and me, the perfect power that redeemed me. We don’t have to wait until everything’s lined up or certain parameters have been met to commune with God, because when do we ever have it all together? He sees our hearts and only cares that we show up. Even when life is crazy and all we have to pray is a single word, He meets us where we are.

As the verse mentions above, His grace is all we need.

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Author bio: 

Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a two-time Genesis Award winner, and the runner-up in the 2015 Lone Star Contest's Inspirational category. Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.
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Connect with Laurie:
Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson
Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson
Website - www.LaurieTomlinson.com