My friend, Tim, asked me this weekend how it was I had grown up through my challenges without retaining a ‘victim’ mentality.
Reading Jeremiah 1:1-10 this morning I actually felt I retained something of that mentality. Because of it, I am drawn to the words “belonged to the family” of verse 1, “spoke to me” of verse 4, and “the Lord reached out and touched…” of verse 9.
Each were among the reasons My relationship with God grew through the circumstances of my past.
“But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.” So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me. For this reason I am happy when I have weaknesses, insults, hard times, sufferings, and all kinds of troubles for Christ. Because when I am weak, then I am truly strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
The ‘victim’ portion of my mentality says I could have become the monsters of my childhood. The ‘saved’ portion of my mentality is inspired by the God who rescued me to be instrumental in saving others.
“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self- control.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
Meekness was not (is not) weakness but an inner strength, through Jesus, with self-control.
