The Cracks

“There’s a crack in everything—that’s how the light gets in” (Leonard Cohen).

If we were solid, complete, perfect, would we have need of Jesus? Would we long for His presence?

I don’t think so.

It’s truly imperfections, weaknesses, the things I hate most about my self, that draw me closer to Jesus. That make me cling to Him and His ways.

This life is hard, and is only made worse by my own loose tongue, my own insecurities, my own doubts.

I truly need Jesus to make it through the worst days. I truly need Him to shine through my cracks, when I would have made a mess of things on my own.

There are times when my tongue has spoken, before my brain caught up. Times when friendships were hurt, because I refused to listen to God’s leading, and made my own decisions instead. Trust me, life is so much easier when I let God take the reigns. When I let His voice rule in me.

This quote above was on my calendar on Monday. Isn’t it perfect? It speaks to imperfections, and how, because of them, light is given a chance to shine through.

Because of my very weaknesses, God can be God.

A need for God is seen in my life, and in those around me.

I have no clue where I would be without God by my side. I really don’t want to know.

 “Concerning this [Paul’s thorn], I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10, HCSB).

 Power is perfected in weakness. God is perfected in those moments when we are at our lowest. When we truly need Him to move. When we need light to shine into those darkest, loneliest moments of our lives. The Apostle Paul actually took pleasure in those hard times. He seemed to seek out the moments when He would need God most, insulted, persecuted, brought down, all becaues of Christ. He sought weakness, so that God would be strong through him. I can't say I'm yet at the place where I seek out hardships. I truly would rather be happy. Although, I'm begining to see how hard times shape us and mold us. How hard times cause us to depend on Jesus. No, I don't long for the pain involved in that process, but I'm a little bit closer to understanding what Paul was saying up above.

God truly does shine through us in our weakest times. So let that light shine, my friends. Let it shine.

Where do you need God the most in your life? Where do you see His light shining through the cracks?