He gives me strength!

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

 Never has this verse meant so much to me.  I signed up to complete a 36 mile bike ride with a friend.  I have only rode 25 miles before so this was going to be a stretch for me. 

A few days before the ride I began to doubt my ability to complete the ride.

My stomach was in knots and I began the dreadful self-talk that went like this. "What if you can't finish?", "How will you feel if your friend has to wait for you all the time?" , "You don't actually think that you can make it up all of those hills, do you?" I was a mess inside and my digestive system kept reminding me that I was really nervous! 

I had prepared for the race by increasing the number of rides that I had completed that week and even had worked on some hills to increase my endurance, yet I still had doubts. Would I finish? The day of the race came and as we signed in I realized that I was in the midst of some hardcore cyclists.  They looked the part with everything cycling. From head to toe they were dressed for cycling success and their top of the line road bikes shined with determination and brilliance.  I had part of the outfit completed, but my bike is a Schwinn sidewinder which is a mountain bike. From the beginning I knew that this might not be pretty and now I was sure of it.

 I am blessed to have a friend Catherine who is a seasoned rider and has for whatever reason seen to have pity on me and has taken me under her cycling wing. 

The ride began and I was feeling great until we reached our first hill. I was holding my own, changing gears and pedaling to the top.  As I was pedaling in first gear it seemed as though thousands of cyclists just whizzed by me.  I have to admit that I said some bad things as they effortlessly went by.  This happened over and over during the ride.  People who had more experience, more muscles and endurance and better bikes passed me by and left me in well, their dust!

the ride was actually wonderful and I learned alot about myself and how to improve in this new cycling world.  When times got hard I began to sing praise songs! 

I am sure people thought that this struggling cyclists had gone one mile too far and that her brain was fried, but I didn't care.

 As I sang I felt the weight of the ride lifted from me.  He who is able brought me through! Towards the end of the ride I was done, I really did not know where the energy was going to come from! My back hurt, my shoulders were on fire and I was exhausted! In front of me were several hills that stood between me and the finish line! All of a sudden Philippians 4:13 came into my mind and I began singing, " I can do all things, I can do all things, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!"  I was glad that this is how the race ended with thoughts of Christ leading and guiding, going before me and sustaining me!

The reality is that I can't do much without Christ!  This verse has new significance for me today! the impossible is possible because of who Christ is!  The real question is if we will trust Him enough to be our sustainer our life giver!

Jesus, thank you for carrying me when I couldn't move. I praise you for showing me in a tangible way that all things are possible if we will put our trust in you! Your strength and yours alone is to be praised!

I love you!  Jann

The nail polish fiasco!

“I look good!” I thought, as I checked myself out in the long mirror in the hallway. I even had time to do my toenails this morning since it is finally warm enough to wear a skirt and open toe sandals on a Sunday morning. The morning started off great and I was looking forward to co-hosting a new service with my husband. “All the more reason to look the part today”, I was thinking as we went to church.

There is just something about feeling good in an outfit that gives me a little bit of a sassy attitude. I feel more in control! That is until………I was following my husband and he stopped and then suddenly backed up right onto my two newly painted big toes! The polish wasn’t completely dry and all of my hopes and dreams of looking the part of one well put together woman was well (out the window)!! The polish literally backed up like it had skid marks on it. To make it worse the color was a deep magenta and now it simply looked like a bloody mess! I have to admit that I panicked, and almost started to cry!

What just happened? I declared with a scowl, “I’m going home to repaint them before the service!”

My husband looked at me like I was insane! Maybe I was for just a moment! Then I had a brilliant idea to find something that would take off the polish. Naked toes were better than what I currently had. Finding nail polish remover in a church office is not an easy task, I searched everywhere but all I could find was white board cleaner. For whatever reason, it worked enough to clean up my toes. This wasn’t exactly the look I was going for but, it is what I ended up with! My husband asked me later why this was such a big deal, “No one was looking at your toes!” To that I whimpered, “But. I would’ve known!”

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Luke 10:39-41

Oh, what a Martha I am! I want everyone to think of me as the one who is chosen what is better, but I am constantly fighting with this side of myself! God speaks to me in the midst of my pridefulness and my desire to be in-control.

Forever nail polish will remind me that He is the one that I should be trying to please. That He is the one who knows all of my thoughts and supplies all of my needs. He can use me whenever and however He likes. All He requires is a willing and obedient heart.

Father, thank you for speaking in the midst of my craziness and pride. I am humbled by your deep love and grace that you so freely give. I love how you use nail polish to teach me that you are all I need.

Jann