After Four days of moving, I learned a few things about myself. One of those things was that I can't do anything in my strength as well as I can in Christ's strength. There several times where I found myself asking Jesus to make me strong so I didn't fistfight, shoot off at the mouth, or complain about moving furniture with the help of me and my hand cart, or how to put together an outdoor dog kennel without instructions that blew away in the wind. Each of these times, I heard myself audibly or inwardly asking Jesus to please show me how to do it or strengthen me so I don't lose it.
At one point, I was sitting in the car as my wife drove us to our next destination. I was exhausted, drenched in sweat, sore from head to toe from lugging couches, chairs, and a washer-dryer set. I was laughing because I realized that I realized for the first time, I didn't complain about moving. I said, "I am so glad that in moments like these, I have God who strengthens me and lets me know that everything is going to be alright because I couldn't do it on my own. " At the moment the last word slipped from my lips I overwhelmed with the type of joy that only comes from the Lord. That joy that floods your senses and leaves you just helplessly crying in His loving embrace and I heard him say, "I'm so proud of you Robyn." I knew at that moment that He was joyful because I realized I needed His strength. He was happy because I recognized that I needed Him because I was weak. It was in that moment I understood why Paul was so enamored when Christ said, "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Greek word for perfected caught my attention. This word is Teleitai. Upon studying the word I learned that it means to be complete or finished. It is a word that implies a type of intimacy between a husband and wife in that this word means to consummate a relationship. When I learned this, I understood why Holy Spirit was so proud that I would rely on him in my moments of weakness, I was going to the next level of spiritual intimacy with Him and consummating our relationship beyond normal human limitations. This is the type of intimacy that God wants with us daily. He wants us to submit to Him in such a way that we utterly rely on Him for every single thing and that shows him that we want to be as close to him as possible.
As a husband, I will do anything for my wife. If she is hurt, I am hurt or someone is in jeopardy of being hurt (save the grace of God that convicts me before I go off the deep end). If she is sad, I am sad. On the flip side of that, if she were to go out and hire people to things that I could or was willing to do, I would be hurt because it would say to me that I wasn't enough for her in some way, or she thought that I was incapable of providing for her in those areas.
Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are the same way. They want to do everything for us. Yet we find ourselves simply seeking quick easy means to an end and very rarely ask Him, "What would you do in this situation, Lord?" We don't stop to say, "Strengthen me, teach me how to do this because I don't know how and I can't do it without you."
Take a moment and reflect on this word. Ask the Lord where you could stand to rely on him more and ask him to strengthen you. I believe that if you this, you will assuredly feel the overwhelming love of God.