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 of my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
They are called myoclonic seizures and have been a constant companion our whole married life due to Steve’s spinal injury in college. But four years ago, a simple diet adjustment changed all that. And for the first time, my husband lived without the fear of being jerked around, until now.
We were savoring a quiet evening in front of the fireplace. Our conversation had been light and enjoyable, something we both found to be a refreshing break from the current COVID crisis. Then without warning, a seizure grabbed hold of Steve and threw him to the floor like a rag doll. Instinctively I dropped to his side, placed my hand gently on his shoulder, and watched in fear as his body writhed with each convulsion. I choked out a prayer between my tears, “Dear God, please calm these spasms. And bring peace.”
Twenty minutes later, his body lay quiet and lifeless, except for the subtle rise and fall of his chest. Should I call an ambulance? Was he going to be ok? How can a body survive such a violent jerking?
I sat there, watching, crying, and praying.
There are moments in our lives when reality sets in, and we see that no matter how much we try to change our circumstances, we cannot. We are not enough.
I wonder if that is how the woman in Luke 7:36-50 felt. People around town knew her to be an immoral woman, a prostitute, more than likely the topic of town gossip. Sin had broken her and left her powerless to escape her current circumstances.
On this particular day, the buzz around town was not about her but about this man named Jesus, who would be dining with Simon.
Perhaps she was tired of the town ridicule or the shame of her lifestyle. Whatever her reason, she had come to the end of herself. She heard where Jesus was going to be and knew that was where she needed to be. Can you imagine the turn of the heads, the condemning gazes, and the condescending whispers as the door to Simon’s house swung open and in walked the town prostitute?
She didn’t care. Her eyes scanned the room until they locked with Jesus. I can almost see the tears streaming down her face as she runs to him. In a moment of sweet surrender, she collapses at His feet, each tear finding its mark on His dusty skin. Her tresses become a towel as she washes the feet of Jesus. This humble act is then interrupted with extravagant adoration as she bends low, and her lips kiss the Savior’s feet. Then in one final display of a life poured out, she empties a bottle of rare perfume on Jesus’ feet.
The Pharisees came up for air at this unconventional demonstration. But I love Jesus’ response to her, “Your faith in me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace.”
Maybe like me, you find yourself in circumstances that no matter how hard you try, you are not smart enough, powerful enough, strong enough, or influential enough to change them.
Then let us lean into the example given in Luke 7. This woman had nothing left to give but a shattered life. Somewhere along the way, she heard that if she could get to Jesus, brokenness, pain, shame, and all, she would find life and peace.
She held nothing back. She let go and fell into the heart of the only One who is more than enough to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and restore them. Jesus alone supplies grace sufficient for whatever heartache we are facing.
My husband’s seizures come and go. Our calendar is filling up with more doctor appointments. We pray, we cry, we have hard conversations about the future, and we wait. But every time we come to the end of ourselves, we look for His gaze, lock eyes with His, and with all our inadequacies collapse at the feet of the all-sufficient One. We shower His feet with our tears and pour out our ointment of praise.
And in this sacred place of letting go He meets us, not because we were never enough, but because He is always enough, more than enough.
About the Author:
Evelyn Sherwood is a trusted soul-care guide, speaker, and blogger who has served in pastoral ministry for thirty-five years. Sherwood serves an active and growing audience through her blog, evelynsherwood.com, and her bi-weekly subscription devotional Hope for the Journey, encouraging her readers to grab hold of hope in the trials by helping them recall God’s work in their past. Nothing puts a smile on her face more than sharing about the faithfulness of God with a friend over a steaming cup of cappuccino or iced peach tea. On a summer evening, you might spot Evelyn and her husband, Steve, driving through Indiana farmlands in a canary yellow ’47 Ford pickup or enjoying an outdoor movie night in their backyard with their eight grandkids.
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