When life teaches you how fragile you really are …

In spite of the myriad messages to the contrary flooding social media every day, you’re probably smaller and more fragile than you think.

We tend to think very highly of our ability to make our way through this world on our own, kind of like the story pastor Kyle Idleman tells of his last relocation in his book, “Not A Fan.” During that move, Idleman saved the heaviest piece of furniture for last — the desk from his office. As he was pushing and pulling the desk with all his might, his four-year-old son came over and asked if he could help. So together they started sliding the desk across the floor. His little boy was pushing and grunting as they inched their way along. But after a few minutes the boy stopped pushing, looked up at his dad and said, “Dad, you’re in my way!” He then tried to push the big desk all by himself, accomplishing nothing at all for his effort.

We often behave the same way with God. In the course of trying to move our lives along in this world, we say, “God, you’re in my way!” thinking our progress in life depends on us, only to wind up anxious, frustrated, stressed out, and wondering why we aren’t getting anywhere.

Life can be far more complex than we think, and we human beings are really quite fragile. We need all of who God is to sustain us.

The Apostle Paul was a very capable, highly educated, brilliant man who quickly achieved a level of prominence among the religious leaders in his day before he was converted to being a follower of Christ. With his education, talent, and skill, you might expect Paul would accomplish great things for the kingdom of God.

He did.

But it wasn’t because of his own brilliance, strength, or ability.

In fact, as a disciple of Jesus, Paul would discover very quickly how much bigger this world is than he, and just how fragile he was …

“We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die …” 2 Corinthians 1:8-9a.

In a moment, a fire can consume your home, an accident can take the life of a loved one, disease can usher in pain and suffering, a bad investment or loss of a job can result in poverty, an angry word can ruin a relationship, a bad decision can wreck a marriage — life can throw us sudden and severe “curve balls” that knock us down in an attempt to knock us out.

Paul felt that kind of attack. So harsh were his troubles, and so fragile was he in comparison, that he literally expected to die.

That is, until he changed his focus …

” … But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us,” 2 Corinthians 1:9b-10.

Paul discovered that to make his way through this world, he needed all of who God is to sustain him. He would write about what he was learning …

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you,” 2 Corinthians 4:7-12.

From feeling just how fragile he was when he relied on himself, Paul could now write about the power to persevere and succeed in his life that came to him through God. Is it any wonder, then, that he would be moved at another time to write this exhortation for us …

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us,” Romans 12:3.

We’re as fragile as the Apostle Paul was, if not much more so. We need all of who God is — His omnipotence, His omniscience, His love, His holiness, His grace and mercy, His justice, and all the other perfect qualities that make God who He is — we need all of God to sustain us through this life on our journey into an eternal life with Him.

Isaiah 41:13 speaks of the help God offered to Israel, and it’s the same kind of help He offers to us today …

“For I hold you by your right hand — I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.'”

Our Creator, who is greater and stronger than anyone or anything, desires to take you by your right hand and walk you through this life, offering to sustain you through all life tosses at you, and to give you a life that offers peace and joy regardless of the circumstances you may find yourself in.

Have you accepted God’s offer? Or do you still think He’s in your way? Like the Apostle Paul, have you changed your focus to rely only on God, or do you think too highly of your own ability?

Scotty