“Father, I’m so weak…I’m so weak.”
I was saying this to myself as I walked my outreach route, at the end of a particularly rough week.
It was a dark time for me and I was feeling defeated. I felt like a phony – like I could not effectively help others because I was feeling so weak myself. I prayed that God would just help me get through the next few hours of outreach.
Just then I came across Ty under a bridge downtown. He’s a youth who I have known for a couple of years. I sat with him and we began tossing pennies into his Tim Horton’s cup, which was several feet away. I was happy to engage in this simple game, which acted as a distraction from my negative thoughts.
Ty started commenting on how heavy my outreach bag was. It was pretty heavy, as it was full of water bottles and juice boxes.
“You’re pretty tough!” he said.
I laughed at this notion.
“No really, you’re strong,” he said seriously.
I turned my eyes away from him, not knowing what to say.
“Look at me,” he said, so I turned my eyes back to him. “You’re so strong. I need you to know that. You’re so strong. You’re a warrior.”
I have never felt God speak to me through someone else. But in this moment, it was clear that God was trying to get a very clear message to me.
I arrived at the bridge feeling defeated, but left feeling uplifted.
“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