My "Barnabas"...Day 21





"weak-by leanne"

  

Early on Friday mornings I meet with a dear friend.  We talk about the week, the things that are going well, the challenges, and we laugh a lot.  Eventually when we have finished catching up with each other, we spend time talking about a book we are reading together about Esther. These times together are like oxygen to my whole being!

The past two weeks were kind of crazy for me and I have been in a little brain fog from lack of sleep and a lot of people  I care deeply about being on my mind.  So this morning I woke up and forgot it was Friday!  At 7 am when I suppose to be pulling into our meeting place, I was grabbing the car keys to drive my son to school.

When it hit me that it was Friday I realized my friend had probably already driven in traffic to our meeting place and was waiting there for me.  The following text exchange is just one of many examples of how thankful I am to have a "Barnabas" to walk through life with me.

Me: I am so sorry!  I totally forgot it is Friday morning!  I am about to drive Brian to school and today is the first day of my new job...can we try to meet early next week? Please pray for me, I am overwhelmed and don't feel up to starting a new job, I want to get my house back in order and sleep.

My friend:  Let's talk Sunday to set up a meeting time.  I am praying for you dear friend.  Remember, when you are weak, He is strong.  I Love you.

I didn't tell me friend I felt weak...we've met enough together that she was able to zero in on exactly where I was struggling even though I only sent her a choppy text. I love that she helped me redirect my focus to God.

The rest of this day, starting the new job, learning many new things, and interacting with many people...I was absolutely aware that I was weak and that God was my strength and my encouragement.  My friend's encouragement  allowed me to get my eyes off myself and how inadequate I felt, and redirect my thoughts to anticipation about how God will be using me in my new job and how God will use my new job to refine me.

 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10