As some of you may already know, I had the honour of being the speaker at the Vancouver Island Women’s Retreat last week. What you might not be aware of is the tumultuous journey leading up to the event. From navigating emotionally taxing weeks to recovering from a nasty bout of food poisoning, to dealing with delayed flights and missed connections, it seemed like every that could go wrong, did. Leaving Toronto, I felt drained, ill-prepared, and completely inadequate for the task ahead. Sitting in the airport, weary and disheartened, I couldn't help but wonder, "How would God use this mess?"

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. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

My grace is sufficient for you. This verse is written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. He is relating a season in his life where he was given a thorn in his flesh - something that persistently hurt him — and Paul tells us that he begged God multiple times to take it away but God remained silent. It wasn’t until the third time when Paul got a response. And the response he got from God would probably cause a lot of us to struggle because God does not remove it, instead God says, my “grace is sufficient for you”.

The definition of grace is undeserved favour. And when I think about GRACE it’s often in the context of the gift of salvation that allows us to have the Holy Spirit with us at all times. So, when I hear this verse, what I hear Paul saying — what I hear God saying — is that ‘I am enough for you’.

In other words My power, at work with you is enough to overcome every situation you face because what you view as a weakness, I view as a window through which My glory can shine through.

As I stepped up to speak on Friday night (the first of four talks) God was faithful and I was humbled at how God could use even me, in my rather depleted state. The weekend was brilliant and all glory goes to God who, did indeed, shine through! I was given strength when I didn’t have any and it was good.

So today, be reminded that God is enough for you. When you are weak, God is strong and God wants to do infinitely more through you than you can ask or imagine.

So bring to God your weaknesses today, surrender them and lay them for God. Allow God to flip the script and take what you view as a weakness and turn it into a strength, for God’s glory and your good.