Strong Enough

I heard this song while driving in my car this morning, and started crying. It's called "Strong Enough," by Matthew West (I apologize for the cheesy lyrics-only version, but there's no official video). The lyrics say:


You must, you must think I'm strong.
To give me what I'm going through.
Well forgive me, forgive me if I'm wrong,
But this looks like more than I can do....on my own. 


I know I'm not strong enough to be
everything that I'm supposed to be.
I give up.
I'm not strong enough. 


Hands of mercy won't you cover me,
Lord, right now I'm asking you to be strong enough, 
strong enough for the both of us.


I need this song, not because I'm going through something traumatic or overwhelming, but because I need to realize that, despite the old adage that "God never gives us more than we can handle," He actually does. God consistently and purposely gives us more than we can handle so we'll consistently and purposely draw closer to Him.


I didn't realize this fact for a long time. I thought that if I behaved like a good little girl, God would always treat me like His precious princess, hovering over me and shielding me from all the bad in the world. So when bad things happened to me or someone I loved, I thought it was because I wasn't living up to my end of the bargain - I wasn't being the "good girl" I promised I would be. 


But Hebrews 12:6 says "the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." Trials come our way because God loves us, not because He forgot us or wants to punish us for our bad behavior. He wants us to draw closer to Him, to understand how much we truly need Him and how utterly beautiful He is. C.S. Lewis put it this way: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

So Matthew West's song is right: we're not strong enough. We aren't supposed to be, we don't have to be, and, in fact, God didn't create us to be.

There are several people in my life who are going through trials right now, and I hope they know how much God loves them. We don't have to be strong enough, because God is with us. He fights for us. He loves us. He gives us family and friends to fight for us and love us. It will be okay.

Well maybe, maybe that's the point:

to reach the point of giving up.

Cause when I'm finally, finally at rock bottom,

well that's when I start looking up

and reaching out.

I know I'm not strong enough to be

everything that I'm supposed to be.

I give up.

I'm not strong enough. 

You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. 
~Desmond Tutu