By Todd Hill
I live in a constant tension in my marriage. My wife has told me over the years that I am a wimp when it comes to sickness and ailments. I desperately want to prove that she is wrong. However, whenever I am sick or have any sort of ailment, I find myself quite incapacitated. But seriously, I would like to see her try to do the dishes when she has an ingrown toenail!
Like many people, I found myself with a winter cold during December this year. I spent my days blowing my nose and then sneezing and then blowing my nose again. I began to notice something that I started doing regularly, besides blowing my nose. As I went through my day, slowed down by feeling crummy, I would find myself saying under my breath and sometimes even audibly, “Jesus, help me.” To be clear, I didn’t think I was dying, and for the most part I was keeping up with my regular responsibilities. However, there was something about the constant reminder of being weak and under the weather that led to that simple prayer throughout the day.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul says, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” I am guessing that Paul’s ailment that he pleaded with God three times to remove from him was more significant than my head cold. However, in both cases, we found ourselves more aware of our weakness, and alert to our need for God’s grace to help us.
While I never thank God for my sickness when I feel crummy, I discovered this winter that it was actually a ready reminder of my daily condition. Regardless of whether I am sick, I constantly need Jesus, all day every day.
What if my heart remembered this truth, and as I found myself navigating hard parenting interactions or working through conflict with a co-worker or fumed over the guy who cut me off in traffic, my response was the simple prayer of “Jesus help me”? Maybe through that prayer I would experience the power of Christ and his sufficient grace because of my weakness.
And then maybe I would stop being such a wimp. Or maybe not.