Where did we ever get the idea that we deserve a problem free life? Somehow most of us seem to think that, including Christians. Having God in our lives means He eliminates all of our problems like some magic genie, right? Or if we pull the lever enough on God’s big slot machine, we will eventually hit the jackpot to make all our problems go away.
If our hope is in solving all the trials and difficulties in this life to be able to have a pain-free-problem-free existence, it is a false hope. And we have no business blaming God for our disappointment when it doesn’t happen that way. Jesus Himself told us we will have troubles in this world (John 16:33).
Our hope is not in having a perfect life here on earth, but in our eternal home after this life on earth.
So instead of trying to get God to be our
“spiritual handyman” to fix everything, how about if we trust God to do things His own way, and ask Him to help us rise above the problems? That would be through His grace (His divine empowerment) which, by the way, He tells Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” (ERV)
Let’s look at that in context, starting with verse seven.
Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. (MSG)
I will admit, I still struggle with “appreciating the gift” and considering it “joy when we encounter various trials” (as we read in James 1:2). My problems can still frustrate me, discourage me, or weigh me down with heartache and tears. For instance, I still cry and feel the pain more than I care to admit over the death of my daughter, even though she left us several years ago and is dancing away in heaven. But during those times of pain and heartache, trials and tribulations, I have learned to look up, because that is where my help comes from (Psalm 121:1,2).
If I belong to Him (which I do) and am in covenant with Him through the blood of Jesus (which I am) then I have to believe as a good Father (which He is) that He is not going to just step aside and let the enemy go at me with a vengeance and no purpose other than to be the devil’s punching bag. A good father is not going to stand by and let his child be beaten on by a bully. However, God sees the big picture. He knows how He can take something bad in our lives and turn it around to use it for our good. And it is absolutely amazing when we watch Him do it! (Which I have, over and over again.)
Some people say that religion is a crutch. Crutch nothing… 
I tell people that God is my wheelchair! I depend on Him for everything. It is my personal relationship with Him that gets me through this life, and I must say, I don’t know how others live life without Him.
I am going to ask you to do two things for me.
- In the comments below, share a promise from scripture that strengthens you during hard times, or one that helps keep your eyes on Jesus during the storms of life.
- Let’s do something fun. Share this blog on one (or all) of your social media sites, and let’s all use #Godismywheelchair
As Acts 4:33 says, may great grace be on you all.
Gems from the Crown is a weekly blog from Crown of Glory Ministries to strengthen and encourage believers in Christ in their walk with God, especially in the areas of vision, authority, and identity. If you would like to have Gems from the Crown delivered directly to you, please click here.
virtue…” Do you know what virtue is? It is doing what is right, and doing it the best way you possibly can, even when no one is looking. Virtue includes encouraging others to do the right thing, and doing what is right, even if it means you stand alone.
(added to you your faith). God has to be able to trust you with the little things, first. I tell the kids around me all the time, “The little things ARE the big things.” We grow in virtue by doing day-to-day things. Things like kids who want to have a pet sometimes need to prove they are ready to take care of it, by proving they are responsible by doing other things like keeping their room clean and helping with house work. That is actually growing in virtue!
pressure herself into that kind of a false image. She humorously decided her ministry was to have people over, letting them see her house messy and lived in, so they would feel better about their own houses. (And the result was more friends started inviting her to visit them, because they no longer cared how their house looked when she came.)
to change themselves to meet someone’s image of perfect (which is unattainable)?
need to eat better, or do something to move our bodies around more to be healthier than we are. (I fall into both of those categories.) But let’s do it for health reasons, because we know our bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and we are to be good stewards of the body He has given us. Let it be because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, knowing it is the direction He is taking us.
bring life into this world. If that has changed how I look, I consider it an honor and a gift from you that my body is reflecting that blessing. I am determined not to compare myself with others anymore. Teach me how to be content, confident, and happy with who I am, both on the inside where only you can see, and also on the outside at what those around me can see. 
by other children when we were young. Or we still feel the effects of being rejected by cruel classmates in school. We can be rejected by bosses and co-workers. We can experience a very painful rejection by our own children whom we love and did our best to raise, or face the ugly monster of rejection through an agonizing divorce.
That is a dangerous thing, and it sets you up for more rejection.
identity is based on what He says about us, we can be sure that we are not going to be faced with His rejection. He paid a very high price – far above gold or silver or any amount of money, to make sure we can be free from the effects of the kingdom of darkness and any rejection we received in our lives.
The exact thing we all are searching for – love and acceptance, mercy and compassion, forgiveness and healing in our very souls is exactly who God is and how He wants to manifest Himself in our lives! That is incredible!
this way? Do they know God as “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth?”
