When God Has to Be Enough

  A lot has happened this last week: almost our whole squad fasted for 24 hours, the women did another fitness hike, the men went into the wilderness for 30 hours of solitude, and as I write this we are heading to Louisiana to partner with Samaritan’s Purse to help with disaster relief. Stuff was brought to light that I didn’t even know was there. So what do you do when you come to the end of yourself?

 Our squad joined our mentor on Monday in fasting and praying for the Jewish people; I’d fasted before, but this time it hit me different. Combined with the terrible night of sleep I’d had, by dinner I couldn’t even think of moving without being overwhelmed by exhaustion. I knew I couldn’t get through the day without the grace of God. Not to say that I handled it well and didn’t complain even once, but the knowledge of my limits brought me to a new understanding of what it means to rely on the Lord. 

 While the men were gone, we women did a team building exercise, which consisted of 300 burpees and 300 squats as a team, as well as two rounds of the forest trail with one person blind-folded and one person being carried. I knew I could do it, but by the end, I couldn’t carry my teammate for more than a minute without my legs giving out and my hip being in pain. I had pushed myself too far and nearly broke down in tears multiple times; but in that, I knew that even when I’m at those points, God is still enough. 

 As I write this, I’m in a van with 13 other people on our way to DeQuincy, LA; for the next week, we will be doing manual labor, cleaning up and fixing homes wrecked by Hurricane Laura. By the end, we will be exhausted (most of us, anyways) and more than a little annoyed with each other. This first week of ministry will be a learning curve beyond compare. God’s Grace will have to get me through, or else I simply won’t make it. 

 What do you do when you reach the end of yourself? When you find a new limit, be it spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical? Do you trust God to take you farther than you know is possible, or do you shrink back and hide in your comfort zone?