From Chronic Pain to Constant PraiseMuestra

Sufficient Grace

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Throughout my athletic career, I faced 10 years of chronic pain. During the darkest part of that time, I descended deep into a pit of chronic pain and no answers. Finally, I got to the point where I had pain radiating from my shoulder to my hand at all times of the day. I often had pain so severe that it caused me to jump out of my chair involuntarily as it shot through my arm. Excruciating at its worst and unrelenting at its best, pain consumed my every waking thought.

Doctors had always told me that if I would just quit swimming, my pain would cease. But I quit the sport and my pain got worse. After exercising three to five hours a day my whole life, I was suddenly restricted to no form of movement except walking. Over and over, I heard the still small voice whisper, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

I had thought that was a nice verse before, but until I had to depend on its very essence, until I had to walk it out in faith one minute at a time, I had no idea the depth of power at its core. 

I woke up each morning to pain and repeated, “Your grace is sufficient for me.” Pain pulsed in my hand as I tried to write in my journal. Your grace is sufficient for me. I tried to cook breakfast but couldn’t lift the pan. Your grace is sufficient for me. I had pain brushing my teeth. Your grace is sufficient for me. I used my left hand to open the door. Your grace is sufficient for me. The pain forced me to move my hands to the bottom of the steering wheel to drive. Your grace is sufficient for me. Some days, I had repeated that verse over 20 times by the time I got to campus for class.

To truly believe that God is made strong in your weakness takes faith. It takes believing in someone else’s power instead of your own. It takes surrendering your idea and the world’s image of strength to the God who created the very concept of strength itself. It takes trusting that the God who sent his Son to die for you has a better plan to redeem your pain than you could ever ask for or imagine. It takes leaning on God for strength to get through the day, and for everything else you need.

And once you depend on God for everything, he becomes everything you need. He is faithful to fill you up minute by minute and second by second, as long as you come to him and ask. If you’re feeling like you don’t know how to make it through the day, take it one step at a time, one breath at a time, one thought at a time.

God, right now I ask for your sufficient grace to cover me like a blanket. I surrender to trust in your strength, not my own, and ask that your will would be made perfect through my weakness. In this moment, I admit I cannot make it through this trial on my own. I need your help. I look to you for my next breath, as you were the one who gave me breath in the first place. Remind me that your grace is sufficient for me five minutes from now when I question it again. Teach me how to depend on you. 

In Jesus’ name, amen.