When you can no longer walk, just give it up!

Hey everyone!

     God has taught me a lot recently, but I really feel like I need to share with you what He has been teaching me over the past few days. 

    I had pink eye a few weeks ago and from that I got Reactive Arthritis, which is very painful. One of the main things it has caused is intense foot pain which started over a week ago and then led to knee swelling and weakness both in my right leg. As a result I haven’t really been able to walk and had to stay home from all projects this past week. To be honest I treated it completely wrong. I was bitter and void of joy. I failed at loving people, and instead focused on myself. But then God started opening up my eyes Friday. I was supposed to go to the village this week and I couldn’t which frustrated me so much. When the team got back on Friday they all shared their experiences and how they were encouraged by one another and challenged by the experiences and people in the village. I felt so left out. But I realized I wanted people to say I was the encouragement. I wanted to be the center of attention. No one mentioned me. If anything I was a hindrance to others. I wanted to be the leader, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything but sit at home. I was helpless. That’s how we are as Christians. We are helpless without Christ. We can’t do anything. We aren’t enough, we can’t love or serve well, and we definitely can’t please God well. 

     I woke up this morning and the pain had spread to my other foot, I couldn’t even stand up. I needed to shower so I used a chair as a walker and then had to shower sitting in it like an old person. Helpless. Hopeless. Because of this and other things going on in my life I decided to read over Galations 5 and pray through the fruits of the Spirit. Then the next verse that follows that section hit me like never before. Galations 5:25 says, “If we live by the Spirit then we will walk BY the Spirit.” That word, by, struck me. I don’t if it’s just a different translation but I have always read it as we walk WITH the Spirit. Yes, same idea, but I am struck by the word and idea of walking BY the Spirit. I haven’t been able to walk this week. I have had to be very intentional about where I try to walk to and only go if I really have to. I couldn’t walk in my own power, which is incredibly humbling. I never really think about walking, until I’ve been blessed (that’s how we should view it) to walk or run a long distance and then they hurt and then I complain about them. But not being able to use them at all is very difficult. As Christian’s we need to get to the point where we can admit that we can’t walk on our own. That we aren’t enough. We have to give up our self-reliance and our desire for our own glory, and replace it with Spirit-reliance and a desire to give God ALL of the glory. We need to get to a place where we don’t try to walk and we can’t walk unless it is the Spirit empowering us to and leading us. Our life’s will only be hopeless and helpless and an unending need for others to glorify us, unless we can walk BY the Spirit for the glory of God. Then, He will lift us up and allow us to be a part of bringing His name glory. What a beautiful paradox!! God wants to use us. All He requires us to do is rely on His infinite and perfect strength, allow His perfection to take over our imperfection, and then as a result go and bring glory to His incredible name. Sounds like a great deal to me! God owes me nothing, and I owe Him all. We all do. Let’s live it and let the Spirit be our feet.

"All of my life, in every season, you are still God, and I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship!"-Dessert Song by Hillsong