My Strength Is Small

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My Strength Is Small

by Aimee Hays

We have all had times in our lives when we faced One morning after mom’s emergency brain surgery, I situations where we knew the right person, had awoke from my sleep to a feeling of just utter brokenness and the right answer, or found a quick solution. It is in helplessness. I opened my Bible and turned to 2 Chronicles 20, those times that we find the strength within ourselves to solve where I read about a king named Jehoshaphat whose army was life’s problems. Life is going pretty well. Everything seems to completely surrounded. He saw an inevitable defeat on the be falling into place until, seemingly out of nowhere, we find horizon. 2 Chronicles 20:15-18 tells us, “He said: ‘Listen, King ourselves in a situation beyond our control. Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is

I remember walking anxiously into the neuro ICU at Emory what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where I gazed upon my 48-yearbecause of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but old mother lying motionless in the hospital bed with every type of medical tubing and monitoring device imaginable connected to her body from where she had just undergone emergency brain surgery to remove an arteriovenous malformation and aneurysm. I was 26 at the time and had never really faced an uncontrollable situation prior to seeing my mother comatose. I knew immediately as I looked at my mother that nothing I could say or do would change her situation. At that very moment, I knew that all I had and all that I needed was the Lord’s help! My strength was so small, and I could not make my mother better.

Mom ended up spending four months comatose and the next 15 years wheelchair-bound, living in a 24-hour-care brain injury facility as a result of the arteriovenous malformation. It was during those 15 years that I had to choose whether I was going to get bitter or better in the face of adversity.

Adversity comes in all shapes and sizes when we least expect it. For some, adversity comes as a medical diagnosis, the passing of a loved one, loss of a job or income, divorce, a tragic accident, false accusations, depression, anxiety, fear…the list of adversities is endless. Yet, in these adverse situations, we do not have to look within ourselves for the power or strength to overcome.

There is hope! As Christians, hope is not a wish or an exit route from hardships and trials. Hope can be seen in Psalm 39:7: “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” Our hope is in the Lord. Psalm 43:5 also tells us, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation, and my God.” Yes, in our darkest moments, when our heart cries out in anguish while the pain of our circumstances seems too great to bear, we can place our hope in God. 24 // September 2020

God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”’ Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.”

When the situation seems hopeless with no way out, we have hope in the Lord. He is our strength. Be encouraged today! Stand firm. The battle is the Lord’s! Let’s find a song of praise and lift up our greatest weapon in times of adversity and distress. We serve an awesome God who is mighty to save. He is our hope!

About The Author

My name is Aimee Hays. I am a native Roman and graduate of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. I am married to my husband Tony Hays who teaches 8th grade and mother to Hunter and Landon Hays. I am an elementary school principal and educator of 24 years and have a passion for sharing the love of God with others.

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