(in)RL Greenville

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

⁹ 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. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This weekend, an amazing event went down. An event that happened in hundreds of locations around the world, with almost 2,000 women. An event that I registered for MONTHS in advance. An event that I swallowed some fear to offer to step out and host in my city.

And I actually really enjoy planning events, so I was pumped! I invited about 20 or 25 women, got my house all set up, made a big table of food, and then...

                               sat here by myself as the start time for the event came and went.

As a very fearful introvert, this was kind of a blow. Everyone had legitimate reasons for not coming. And I'm sure some didn't even realize it was happening, since my only form of communication was a Facebook event. But even this turned into an accusation against myself. It was definitely a moment of weakness and vulnerability that I was not prepared for. {My mother being the only one who showed up, half an hour late, and only because her previous engagement got cancelled, was little consolation.}

And then, around lunch time, my mother-in-law and beautiful future sister-in-law came by on their way around town doing wedding shopping [so much fun!]. I had talked to them earlier and asked them to at least come by and eat some of the food since Matthew and I are vegan right now and none of the food was vegan, since I had made it for other people. 

So while the moms sat at the table snacking and chatting, Jaimie and I got to sit in the living room and talk. We normally just get to chat about wedding plans and current stresses and things like that. But on Saturday, we got to talk about Jesus. I got to hear what He's doing in her heart, and in my brother's heart. We got to know each other a little better and let our friendship get a little deeper. And through all the muck of disappointment and hurt and shame in my brain, a little whisper got through, and said, 

           "This is what today was for. This is why I put it on your heart to host this, and this is why no one else came. Because in what seems like your failure, My plan succeeded."

Why do I still have to learn this lesson? Shouldn't I have it by now? I'm sure Jesus wonders this about me too. When I'm focused in on my weakness in a situation, I'm missing out on seeing Him be strong. When I despair because my plan fails, I miss out on seeing His plan succeed because I finally got out of the way. 

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

What a promise! What a loving God! This weekend was a beautiful reminder. Not to mention all the beautiful wisdom shared in the videos from the event. (in)courage is an amazing group of women who really love Jesus. 

What looks like weakness or failure in your life right now? Ask God to show you His strength and His plan, and move yourself out of the way. He is good, and faithful, and loving. He, if given the opportunity, will astound you with His great Love for you.