Haha... yeah, with the wind rushing thru your hair, and the yellow lights flashing by in pleasant metronome-style... and the beautiful half-moon up in the crystal-clear night sky... Wow, this is life, praise God! :)
*******
Hmm... we started talking about our lives, and I shared with him about my discouragement that I experience when I see myself lacking a lot in social skills. Somehow, after that, I then asked him what his strengths are. (Can't remember how we got onto that thread...)
He hesitated, and then said, "Actually, there are a lot of things that I'm not good at."
"It's ok. It's good to acknowledge the strengths that God has given us."
So he thought for a while, and then replied, "My greatest strength is actually something that I'm very weak in. Actually, I'm very scared of (something) and I'm very insecure. And I'm not very socially mature, and because of that, I've made a lot of people irritated in the past. The way I said some things, the way I behaved... they really made them very irritated with me."
He continued, "But this weakness is turned into strength, because through this weakness, I lean on God and rely on Him more. I have to... I can't do it by myself. So it's because of this leaning on Him that I draw closer to Him as a result."
*******
Wow... praise God... I was VERY VERY VERY touched when he shared that. Somehow, it really made sense to me - think God must have replied to my complaints through this brother's words. And these two verses that the Spirit put into my mind today confirmed what this brother had said:
2 Cor 4:16-18: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
2 Cor 12:8-10: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Really thank God... I was very encouraged when he shared this with me, because, actually, I find him a very socially relevant bro, and someone whom I can really learn from, even though he's younger than me in age. But it encouraged me, because, wow, even he struggle with social weaknesses... like what Pastor Jeff said during last Saturday's sermon, one way we are encouraged is when others share their struggles in the light of God's promises! Yes and Amen!
So, in a nutshell, think this bro's sharing was very timely - it helped me make sense of the disappointment and complaint that I had towards God, asking Him why can't I be socially normal like other people, that I wouldn't have to struggle to learn important social skills that come so naturally to others? And being hearing-impaired doesn't do wonders either... :) And that I find it hard to discern facial expressions? And so on and so forth?
But after this dear bro's sharing, think God really encouraged me, helping me see the redemptive purpose behind my weaknesses and constant struggles (e.g. being hearing-impaired). That purpose is simply so that, like Jesus said of the man born blind from birth, "this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." So, yes, I'm well and truly encouraged to keep on stepping out of my comfort zone, to be willing to stretch myself to make mistakes and to grow in social maturity, so that in time to come, people can see what God can do with even an idiot like me - and thus give God all the glory!!! :D Praise the Lord!
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