I am free indeed.

Day 13: Five weaknesses you have.

At first, I didn't want this to be a post.  I mean, who wants to spend an entire day focusing on their weaknesses?  However, today I would like to clarify that I am a broken person.  I am not perfect, but I have been redeemed and made righteous in God's sight.

I still struggle with things and you can help keep me accountable in them!  So I am not afraid to share my weaknesses.  In all of these things, Christ holds the victory!

"But he said to me, '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

1.) Timidity.  I am naturally a very shy person.  While the Lord has given me so much freedom in this area, it is still something that burdens me in many situations, particularly in large groups of people or meeting someone new.  I do not want to be timid.  God did not create in me a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.  I was created to be bold.

(Now, this doesn't mean that I was created to be an extrovert.  Having a quiet personality is not wrong at all.  God created my personality and He loves the fact that I am quiet.  However, I was not created to be timid.  And when being introverted gets in the way of loving people, that's when it is time for me to have a heart change.) 

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." -2 Timothy 1:7

2.) Anxiety.  I have struggled with this for my entire life.  Right now, I am in a place where the Lord has brought me out of so much anxiety!  I'm doing so much better than I ever thought I could.  But I still find myself worrying.  About small things and about big things.  Sleep and studying are big sources of anxiety for me.

I'm daily working to have complete faith in God's provision and control.  My anxiety is a source of pride and selfishness, me believing that I have shoulder my own problems instead of placing my future in Christ's hands.  

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6

3.) Vulnerability.  It can be difficult for me to open up to people.  When it comes to sharing my testimony and talking about what the Lord has brought me through, I rarely have a problem.  These things are easy for me to share; they proclaim God's glory so well!  I love sharing my testimony.

On the other hand, it's extremely difficult for me to be open about what I'm struggling with in the moment.  I much prefer to talk about it when it's in the past.  I want to be completely transparent.  I want to use my own brokenness to show Christ's transformation in me.

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." -James 5:16

4.) Resistance to change.  Oh, man.  This one gets me!  I'm a person of habit and I love for things to be exactly the way they are.  The littlest things bother me, like having to park in a different place than I usually do now that I have new roommates or moving something around on my desk.  I love for things to stay the same, but that's not God's plan.

The Lord never changes, but I am not perfect like He is.  I have been made to transform to be more and more like Him.  If my life does not show daily change, I want to step away from my stubbornness and allow God to move my heart. 

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." -2 Corinthians 3:18

5.) Impatience.  When I feel God's call on my heart, I want to move right then and there.  Sometimes that's what He asks; other times, He wants me to wait.  For example, when I get to serve children daily during the summers through Christian Relief Fund and then have to go to college, I feel so impatient.  I just want to be there, serving orphans and pursuing the passion of my heart.

God has told me to wait.  So I'm waiting.  It's so difficult!

I don't want to leap ahead with my own selfish plans.  I want to wait when the Lord tells me to wait and seek His face right where I am, even if I am in a place of "not yet" in my life.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" -Jeremiah 29:11


What are 5 weaknesses you have and how has the Lord been bringing you freedom?  How can we pray for you as you grow?

Two years ago: Goodbye, Comfort Zone
Three years ago: Before School Starts