Weakness and Worry

Eastminster Presbyterian Church was lucky to have Donald Stratton as a founding member, and I was lucky to have him as a friend and neighbor for more than 20 years.

Mr. Stratton had no time for worry or weakness. He said both were an offense to God. I can still hear him saying, “Tammy, you can’t be a woman of faith and a woman filled with worry. It makes no sense.” That continues to be an ongoing lesson for me.

Mr. Stratton was a pillar of strength for me. One day I had to do something that scared me to death. I was full of anxiety. He put both hands on my shoulders and put his face close to mine.

“You are strong,” he said. “You’ll be fine.”

Clearly I hadn’t mastered the lesson about worry because my quick reply was, “What if I’m not as strong as you think I am?”

I’ll never forget his answer.

“It doesn’t matter how strong I think you are. It doesn’t matter how strong you think you are. I know how strong our God is, and he will be with you today.”

Wow. What wise words. It doesn’t matter how strong we are. The only thing that matters is how strong our God is. The only thing that matters is remembering to ask for his help. We don’t have to carry our burdens. God likes doing the heavy lifting.

We all have times when we don’t feel strong enough to handle whatever life throws our way. Illnesses, death, addictions, financial woes - all these earthly things leave us feeling weary and weak, but as my wise neighbor reminded me, it doesn’t matter how strong we feel. The only thing that matters is the strength of our God. We can choose to rely on our own strength or we can choose to tap into the power of our God. I know what Mr. Stratton would tell me do.