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One of my friends, Islee Williams said something about her son’s battle with seizures that inspired me to share the power of powerlessness when you place your weight in the hands of a powerful God.
“Lord let me have the seizures instead.” The Lord said, “He has his own story to tell…” At that moment I knew I could trust Him and release it to Him because there is nothing I can do. Feeling sorry for myself or for my son doesn’t help. But giving the situation over to a Holy and loving God so He can ultimately get the glory, there lies the true victory,”
We tend to think with tunnel vision when we think of power. Kids think of superheroes. Adults think of physical strength. Me, I look at complete powerlessness. Yep. Take that in. I said it: complete powerlessness.
Whenever I share my testimony, I’m always humbled by how strong people assume I must be to handle all that I’ve been dealt. If you ask me, it didn’t take any strength that I possess. Hey, if left up to me, I would have traded my story in for someone else’s a very… VERY long time ago. It never mattered how hard I tried. It didn’t matter how many times I carried my proverbial burden to the altar and left it there. It didn’t matter how many times I prayed. That (insert inappropriate word here) thing got so heavy and I wanted to either drop it or drop dead.
I’m not complaining (anymore). We all have a mantle to carry; a struggle that is designed to ascend us to the level of our intended purpose on this earth. The truth of the matter is we were never strong enough to handle/carry “it” on our own. While some stories seem harder to bear and more unbelievable than others, it doesn’t change how the person who was dealt that hand coped… or in some unfortunate cases… chosen not to.
I’m gonna throw some things out there. You may identify with them and you may not. Child molestation. Stalking. Mental abuse. Worthlessness. Attempted sexual assault. Sex. Body image. Hunger. Pain. Depression. Seizure. Death. Memory loss. Speech impairment. Dependence. Suicide. Obsessive Compulsion. Joy. Redemption. Salvation. Happiness. Strength. Power. Peace.
The aforementioned are all words that I’ve faced as a result of being abused and being epileptic. Some less severe than others. Some more so. I look at the list myself and I wonder how all of this went on in the same person. Walking up the street one day I remember thinking either I’m gonna die, or it’s gonna be okay. I know that I said it doesn’t matter how many scriptures you read but I don’t say that to discount the power of the words in the Bible. I say that to say that if you don’t trust the truth in those words, you won’t be able to receive the power from those words to help you push to the next minute so you can make it to the next hour so you can see the next day.
Now, you may not believe as I do, and that’s perfectly okay. I’m only saying that in my faith, God can be found saying things like “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” That’s in Matthew chapter 28. In Psalm 34 it says that The Lord delivers the righteous from all of their afflictions. There is a strength that I received from the words I read that can’t fit into man’s definition of power.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, power is defined as the ability to do something or act in a particular way. Islee and I may have been powerless to change our reality, but we were wise enough to acknowledge that we serve a God that is made strong in our weakness. That’s all the power we need.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and
heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world
cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
– John 14:27 New Living Translation (NLT)
I Have No Power… That’s why I’m so Strong!
– Aria Lott
Aria Y. Lott is a person who is continuing to evolve through sharing her experience and is finding there is not only power in the love of God, but power in using her own successes and failures to encourage others to push until they cross the finish line. Aria is a joyful soul. She has experienced much to the contrary but realizes our belief in the possibility or existence of joy is what makes it tangible and challenges you to open yourself up to the possibility of joy and see what happens!
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