And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:27
No matter how strong we are, or even how strong we think we are, we all have our moments of weakness. I can think of at least three that we all experience on a regular basis. We all experience fear and doubt. Even those confident of people have moments of doubt. We wonder if we have prepared enough for a task we have been assigned or a test we are about to take. We wonder if we are really talented enough to be in a job we are in, or to do an aspect of a job that we’ve been asked to do. Everything has things that they are afraid of. It might be doing something you don’t feel qualified to do but are required to do anyway. It might be doing something you’ve never done before and wondering if you have enough to do it successfully—think about being a parent, or raising a teenager, or your first day at a new job. We all have things we fear, for instance having a medical procedure done (that is one of my biggest fears).
The second thing we experience on a regular basis is temptation. We are presented daily with forks in the road, a decision to do something that honors God, or a decision to do something that gratifies ourselves and dishonors God, such as the decision to gossip, or curse, or look at inappropriate materials, or act on a sinful thought. Yes, there are plenty of moments where we can gratify ourselves and still honor God, we are not in a constant battle for this. However, we will find ourselves on this battleground multiple times a day no matter who we are.
The third thing we all struggle with on a daily basis is fatigue. At some point every day, even the strongest person will succumb to fatigue and need to sleep. We are not robots that can just go on and on. We are human beings who need to stop and rest. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus went to pray. He asked His disciples to watch with Him. He didn’t need them to do anything specifically. He didn’t ask them to talk and help Him process anything. He didn’t ask them to pray for Him. He merely asked them to watch with Him, so that He wouldn’t feel alone. And this proved too much for them and they fell asleep. I choose to believe that in this moment, the disciples didn’t conspire to abandon the Lord, They just fell prey to their own humanity, not out of maliciousness, or even laziness. They simply couldn’t do it.
Jesus said, as He came back from His prayer and found His disciples sleeping, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38) He didn’t criticize them. In fact, He empathized with them. He knew that their spirits were willing, He knew they hadn’t abandoned Him our of malice or spite or greed. He took a moment to encourage them to be watchful, that in their state of fatigue, they might succumb to temptation.
In our fallen state, we can all succumb to fear, temptation and fatigue at just about any time. Christ understands that. We need to understand that. This is why there is a need for vigilance (awareness), self-care (to make sure we take time to physically and mentally rest) and most important, for spiritual renewal (we must take time to pray, to worship, to read Scripture, and to reflect on God, to keep our life under the umbrella God and to do this consciously).
One of my “go to” verses is Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. This is a mantra I think about on a daily basis. In moments of doubt or fear, this verse helps me remember that God doesn’t want me to fail or be afraid. It reminds me that I am not alone. I should not ever feel lonely. And I also should realize that even in my good moments, in my times of achievement, that it is not solely me who is working and achieving, but Christ walking beside me. It helps me remember to thank Him when things are going well, and to lean into Him when things are not going well. In a moment of temptation, Philippians 4:13 is a reminder to take God’s fork in the road rather than my own. Falling to temptation happens when we forget about the strength of God and rely on our own strength, which at times is faulty.
How do we experience the strength of God? Sometimes, it is as simple as asking for it—God give me strength right now to walk another step. Sometimes we have to ask for strength but wait for it to be given in God’s way, in His time. Sometimes the strength of God is brought to us through other people, through encouragement or intervention. And sometimes, we are the conduit of God’s strength to someone else through our encouragement towards them or our intervention on their behalf. Sometimes God’s strength comes in a way we don’t expect it, even in instances when we don’t ask for it.
There are times when God’s strength feels absent, when it feels like we are flailing around in weakness. This is why the first and greatest commandment to love God is so challenging. Because it is not simply to love God, but to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength and with all our mind. Imagine leaning into God with every heartbeat (heart), with our essence (soul), with every action (strength) and with every thought (mind). If we really are able to do this, even for a moment, we will feel the strength that comes from God. Because of our human weakness, we will not be able to live like this at all times. However, this bar that God sets for us for how we are to love Him, paves the way for us to feel this kind of strength and power.
To Thee, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if Thou be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the Pit. Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to Thee for help, as I lift up my hands towards Thy most holy sanctuary. Take me not off with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts. Requite them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; requite them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, or the work of His hands, He will break them down and build them up no more. Blessed be the Lord! For He has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my son I give thanks to Him. The Lord is the strength of His people, He is the saving refuge of His anointed. O save Thy people, and bless Thy heritage; be Thou their shepherd, and carry them forever. Psalm 28
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me is not only a good motto, but a way to connect with Christ in order to avoid moments of weakness, and a way to reconnect and refocus in those moments of doubt, temptation, failure and fatigue.
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