Willing Spirit, Fragile Body

I’ve been called the Energizer Bunny all my life. I get energized with insane deadlines while juggling multiple challenges at the same time. I recall fondly the first days of starting the ministry of Inspire Women. I had no staff, no money, and no office space. Only a vision from God to build a ministry to inspire women across ethnicities to serve at their God-given potential in missions and ministry. God confirmed in my spirit that His mission is accomplished by the combined gifts in each of us, and when one of us is diminished, we all are diminished.

After running at a furious speed for nearly twenty years, it’s been an unfamiliar, personal adjustment to slow down because of recent recurring episodes of vertigo. At times, I have cried out to God to ask Him why He is doing this. However, instead of revealing His plan completely, I have learned from Scripture that He does not want me to predict the future, or jump to conclusions, or fixate on a solution. Instead, He wants me to go on the journey and trust that He is walking beside me. God has used my physical challenges to teach me that when I am weak, He is strong. As I have been forced to slow down, I’ve seen more clearly how His Holy Spirit is the one holding all the pieces together. His Holy Spirit completes our faith. For example, during this recent slowdown I have been reminded how He surrounded me with the perfect co-laborers who are taking the hill with me. He has given me perspective and shown me how He is bearing fruit from my seeds of labor.

It is tempting to believe sometimes that the second half of our lives will never be as exciting as the first half. If you find yourself thinking, “This is as good as it gets,” let God’s Spirit reframe your thinking. For me personally, instead of running around at record speed to accomplish the impossible, I get to stand and watch God move mountains. As long as I am on this earth, God’s Spirit in me is unstoppable. I can pray for my team. I can pray for the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of those who have the means to support. I can ask God to redeem the time and show me what to work on. There is a saying that work expands to fill the time but when you are confronted with shorter days, you’ll be surprised how many unnecessary activities you can cut from your schedule.

A co-laborer in Christ wrote me to say she had an emotional meltdown over some tests that came back on her physical condition. Her transparency alerted me to the question, “How many leaders feel the freedom to share their humanity?” Instead of being vulnerable, do they feel the pressure to be super human? Even Jesus felt pain, though through it, He did not walk around managing His image. He made Himself vulnerable so we could trust a Savior who felt our pain.      

The next time you feel a need to hide your pain, try sharing it instead. Use your doubts, your meltdowns, your weaknesses to show the world our Savior is worthy of our service, even in the midst of uncertainties. You may be surprised how God will take your choice to keep serving Him when it’s hard to increase the certainty in your relationship with Him. 

If you are in a season of physical challenges, let God take you higher to view His mission that’s bigger than you. And while you view life from heaven’s height, don’t miss seeing those the Holy Spirit has already positioned around you. Your weakness shaped a God-designed opportunity for their calling because they were gifted to complete your victory together. Life never feels daunting when we learn to view it from God’s eyes.