I Just Can't!

The little boy wanted to help dad lift the heavy shelf. His dad told him that he absolutely needed his son’s muscles. The boy lit up at his dad’s statement and felt like he had the muscles of Hercules. The two began to lift the shelf and put it against the wall, with the little boy pushing with all his might. Afterward, the dad thanked his son and said that he could not have done it without him.

Now obviously, this is the actions of a great dad and the son’s actual contribution was minimum at best. But his participation was huge in other aspects. There are many valuable lessons in that simple moment that play into the fabric of dad and son, family, confidence, and even making the world a little better place.

This simple illustration is very much how God works with us. He tells us over and over we can do anything in His strength. In our child-like arrogance sometimes we forget that God is doing most of the lifting in our lives. It is His strength that carries us through our days. It is His wisdom that wins the moments of our journey. It is His favor that allows us to even be in the game of life.

Why is this so important? Because we all hit those moments in life and ministry that we succumb to the walls and ceilings. It is in those moments that we find ourselves discouraged and at times depressed because we just can’t go any further. We find that we cannot lift the shelf on our own and we get downhearted.

This is where our understanding of God saves the day. Of course we can’t lift on our own. We were never meant to do so. God created us to be in relationship with Him and use and depend on His power to make an impact in our world. We are His children, and we have access to His strength!

If you are at a place where you are sighing the phrase, “I just can’t”, then I invite you to reach out to God today and let Him show you what you “can do” with His help. His word tells us, “When we are weak, He is strong.”