REFLECTIONS

At Our Best

So what makes Sherri’s story so compelling? And how was God glorified by the man born blind? These questions offer challenges to traditional thinking and the matters of life we celebrate.

Each day we awaken to a long list of things to do—appointments to keep, chores to complete, books to read, and people to please. We celebrate the prosperity of a “self-made” person who overcame poverty to flourish with material wealth. We admire Olympians and the medals they earned, the points scored or the touchdowns thrown by hall-of-fame athletes, the eloquence of a great orator, and the art of great a writer. We place on pedestals the images of great leaders and envy those blessed with talents and possessions we lack. It is our nature to be at our best and reach for heights beyond all others. But to what end? The answer is seldom found in personal achievement. Rather the answer rests in the witness from those whose strength was taken from them.

A ruptured aneurism hobbled Sherri’s stride, weakened her arm, and altered her ability to speak. She was told that her legs would never support her again and that she would be unable to bear a child. Yet there she stood that day telling me her story. And the story was not of the perseverance required to restore her strength or even the faith she placed in God for healing. It was her weakness that captured my attention. And it was in weakness that Sherri displayed God’s blessing to walk strongly, to speak clearly, and to bear a child.

When the man born blind was asked how he gained his sight, he might have been tempted to take credit for following Jesus’ instruction. But that was of little note. Jesus had placed mud on his eyes and told him to wash. But the blind man gave credit to neither the mud nor the washing. It was the grace of Jesus, the Savior, who gave him his sight. “I was blind and now I see!” he exclaimed.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “…for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness.” Sherri did. The blind man did. In weakness, they were at their best. And so are we.

 You are the light of the world,

Richard+

www.reflectingthesavior.org

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