“Perfect power”

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

Verse Reflections:  Perfect Power.  Incomprehensible.  Unbelievable.  I am so crazy weak, I can’t even choose healthy foods every day.  The releasing freedom is the knowledge that I don’t have to be strong, I can be weak because I have God’s power.  This power is the very reason God Plus 1 works.  If we start our day giving our weakness over to God and access His power then we can do this.  We can eat healthy.  We can choose God foods.  How freeing to know that God’s power is made perfect in my weakness.  I cannot eat healthy on my own.  I cannot keep away the compulsive thoughts that lead to eating way past comfort.   I think anxiety carves out an imaginary hole in my stomach and then I begin to eat to fill it.  My anxiety seems to disappear only after the food nestles in or pushes on all sides of the hole I have carved.  The good news is that these devotions, reaching out to His power daily protects me from myself.  His power is made perfect.  When I give my day to Him anxiety doesn’t creep in.  I am a strong woman, I seldom let life get to me and yet this anxiety hole that I fill is my little secret.  It creeps in, it doesn’t storm.  Everything will be going along great and all of a sudden, something will happen.   I keep smiling and rocking through life but a little treat will pop into my head and a wicked little inside smile gives me an adrenaline rush of excitement that pushes away the negative emotion.  I keep adding thoughts until I run out to buy or run to the kitchen to make and then indulge in all my food thoughts.  The anxiety or depression just seems disappear with every bite.  This imaginary relationship between life and food is a vicious cycle for me.   God’s power is giving me healthier habits such as healthy snacks at 10:00 and 3:00. When I add snacks the food thoughts don’t build.  God snacks make a difference.   I must concentrate on the fact that God’s grace is sufficient.  I don’t need food.

We will never be able to earn grace.  We will never be strong enough, good enough.  And yet, how many times in our lives does something bad happen and we wonder what we did to deserve it?  The wonderful, freeing news is nothing.  Bad things are just going to happen. It will be out of our control.  The even better news is that when we fail, when we fall, when we are at the end of our resources God will be there for us with pure forgiveness and power.  There are times in my life where His pure forgiveness gave me the power to forgive, to move on, to put the past in the past. 

Prayer:  Father, Your grace is sufficient for me.  I do not need food to change my moods, my day.  Help me to depend on Your grace, Your power.  I lift up my weakness to You.  Lord I need You to be strong for me.  I cannot eat right without You.  Bless me and make Your power great inside of me.  I love the thought that Your power is made perfect in my weakness because I have a lot of those.  It gives me such freedom to know that I don’t have to fix myself first.  You thrive in my weakness, and my acknowledgement of the weakness.  I have admitted that weakness, these devotions admit my weakness with each day.  So, now Your strength is made perfect.  Ha ha, so glad I could help build Your strength.  Lord, today, I will remember that Your grace is sufficient, Your power is made perfect.  I don’t have to solve the world’s problems, I just need to do what You have equipped me to do and You will take care of the details.  I love you and need You.  Thank You for this promise.