I Can Testify

2 Corinthians 12: 8-10 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It’s been a long time since I wrote on this blog. Back surgery and an atypical recovery that required over six months of physical therapy seemed to drain my thinking ability. But thankfully, my faith is intact. I seemed to lose the desire to write when I loved blogging before the surgery. But today, I look forward to sharing new stories from the prompts and my own imagination with you, as well as any encouragement and inspiration I feel called to write by the Spirit in me.

I felt so guilty and ashamed for letting God down and jeopardizing His love for me. But last night, at a Bible study of the book He Loves Me: Learning to Live in the Father’s Affection at the new church that my husband and I joined this last month, I remembered that His love for us is not dependent on anything I do or fail to do. Of course, I knew this and have taught it, but when we find ourselves in the valleys and wildernesses of this life, even the most spiritually learned person can begin to question the why of their situations.

I am so thankful that God’s wonderful grace allows Him to love us with a faithful love that brings us peace and joy even in life’s difficulties. We don’t earn God’s love. It is a gift, as stated in John 3:16, a love so great that he sacrificed His only Son to give us the chance for eternal life.

By His grace and mercy, I can continue to do that which brings me joy: encouraging and inspiring others to trust the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to help them, love them, and be with them daily. Like the apostle Paul, I asked for miraculous healing to return to blogging, but the Lord’s age-old wisdom reminds me that His grace is sufficient for me. So I got up off my knees this morning and started over again. Thank you for your prayers.