Be Strong!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10

This short verse has been what has powered my heart the past few days. On Saturday night, I spoke at a church for a Sunday School class Christmas party. I was both nervous and anxious leading up to this speech since the topic was courage, strength and faith in the face of deep adversity. The theme was ‘Be Strong in the Lord.’ Obviously, I would be speaking on the most difficult times in my life and was worried that I would end up broken apart. Upon many people praying for me prior to that evening, I felt the peace of God settle on me to give me the strength and courage to get up in front of everyone exposing my most private wounds. The audience was very warm and welcoming and the speech went well.

The next day at church I found out that the mom of a family we know has been referred to Hospice and given less than 6 months to live. She has 5 children under the age of 20, all who live together in a tiny rundown house. She asked if I would find out how to transfer to the Hospice organization we had used since I had gone on and on about the level of care they had given to Beth. I knew that meant going back to the Hospice House, the place where my heart broke on a daily basis last year.

As I was approaching Hospice I felt this heavy pressure fill up my car as if I couldn’t breathe and I began crying. I explained to the Lord that I had neither the strength nor the composure to accomplish this favor. I told Him that this was His idea so He needed to give me the tools necessary to accomplish the meeting. He was so faithful as He once again lent me His power, His courage and His strength. As I opened the door to Hospice I saw the friendly faces and the familiar hallways that I had walked almost daily this time last year. We visited for a bit, met with the intake director and I bid them farewell. As I walked down the hall towards the door to make my escape, I saw the Christmas tree in the lobby and smelled the aroma of cinnamon. These were leftover memories of last year. I had prayed by this tree, cried by this tree and had waited on Beth’s dear friends for a Christmas party by this tree. I felt myself getting ready to shatter so I hurried out of the door at which point I fell apart and sobbed the entire way home. The pain was as fresh as it was one year ago. It was at that moment that I realized how much pain God was holding back from heart and that "Be strong in the Lord" were more than just words.

As I pulled into my driveway, I heard the song by Sidewalk Prophets, The Words I Would Say. The chorus basically says, ‘Be strong in the Lord, never give up hope, He’s going to do great things, I already know, God’s got His hand on you so don’t live life in fear, forgive and forget but don’t forget why you’re here, take your time and pray, and thank God for each day, His love will find a way. These are the words I would say.’ When the song was over I had a flashback of Saturday night at the party. The placemats at our table said Be Strong In The Lord.

Whatever you are facing in your life, ‘Be Strong In The Lord!’