In the spring of 2010, I started my first semester in business school. After receiving my associate’s degree from junior college, I was nervous to attend a larger university. Plus, I was taking seventeen hours while juggling full-time work responsibilities. At the end of my first day, I was nearly in tears, so I wrote a desperate prayer on a spare piece of notebook paper.
“I’m genuinely overwhelmed and sad. Change is hard for me, and I’m so unsure of what I’m doing. Lord, I know that when you’re behind something, you give strength and confidence to do it. I need you, Father. I know I can’t do this in my own effort. Everything in me wants to quit right now, but I’m determined to see this through….Please don’t let me fall away from my dream. I want this so badly. Give me wisdom, strength, favor, support, and protection….”
I resolved to work hard each day, trusting He would meet my needs, and God never failed. He heard my prayer, and He graced me the ability to retain information, meet daunting deadlines, and gain favor with my professors. I finished that semester, and every semester thereafter, with straight A’s, and I was honored with the Outstanding Graduate Award in the Spring of 2012. God didn’t just help me finish school; He enabled me to finish school with excellence.
Less than nine months after graduation, Tyler and I welcomed our baby girl into the world. She is the most beautiful blessing, but if I’m honest, she is my greatest challenge to date. Parents everywhere will agree; babies are work. They require every ounce of energy and stamina you can muster. Then, they cry for a little more. Amidst the exhaustion, late night feedings, and poopy diapers, I found myself praying the same prayer:
“Change is hard for me, and I’m so unsure of what I’m doing. I need you, Father. I can’t do this in my own effort. Everything in me wants to quit right now, but I’m determined to see this through. Give me strength, favor, support, and protection.”
From then, I have seen the hand of God working on my behalf, gracing me to be the mother/wife/employee He’s called me to be. In fact, on days when I’m convinced I can’t do it all, the baby will nap longer than usual. This extra time affords me the ability to call customers, close out the month, clean my bathrooms, or make my grocery list. It amazes me how He choreographs each day, allowing me to tackle necessary tasks and take time for myself. The balance is something only He could manufacture, as I’m prone to excess one way or the other.
Then, there are times like yesterday. I made a trip to Lowe’s alone with the baby. For some reason, that isn’t easy for me, so I asked for God’s help and protection. In a matter of a few minutes, God made sure four different people (not all paid employees, I might add) went out of their way to help me get a cart, check out, get my cart to my car, and take my empty cart back to the store entrance. I pulled out of the parking lot humbled and amazed.
This is what the Word promises. God said in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
I’m a rather independent, strong-willed kind of gal, but I find great comfort in those words. Weaknesses are a given, and I have plenty of them. But, when I turn those weaknesses and insecurities over to God, I am astonished at the results. Somehow and some way, I’m better off with them than without them. And it’s simply because His grace is sufficient.
So, what is grace?
I can assure you, grace is more than God’s unmerited favor toward sinners. Its power isn’t reserved solely to save us from hell and admit us into heaven.
Grace is grease.
You see, without grease, a wheel bearing will struggle to do its job, squeak, squeal and eventually wear out. Likewise, without God’s grace, we will struggle, get frustrated, and eventually wear out. Grease can ease things through doorways or slip unfit jewelry off your hand. Similarly, Grace allows us to go through doors of opportunity we’d otherwise never fit through. It aids us in ridding ourselves of habits, relationships, or evil tendencies that no longer fit in our Christian life. Grease enhances ability, improves performance, contributes to efficiency, and increases endurance. So does grace.
Grace is for big stuff, like parenting, and little stuff, like Lowe’s shopping trips. The squeakier the situation, the more grease He’ll provide. So, let’s stop struggling in self-effort and start squeaking for assistance. After all, His grease is sufficient. 🙂
With love,
Squeaker Kaime
