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Laugh Lines

Where Strength Comes From

By Brooke Keith

In a world where bigger is better, we often find ourselves wishing for the strength we see in others. Those women on the magazine covers seem to hold the world in the palm of their hands. For years I wished I was one of those women, powerful and strong, because I thought “strong” meant being able to handle everything on your own.

Nothing knocks you out of “strong” territory like having three children. My so-called “strength” flew out the window. I worried about everything. When my oldest son, Alex, went to kindergarten, I thought about all those things you hear on TV: shootings, bombs, horrible accidents. I was sure the strong women I idolized would never worry about these things. They would dare someone to try and mess with their kids.

Brock, our middle child, has asthma. Every cough chipped away at my inner strength. He needed daily pills, puffs, bells and whistles. And I couldn’t even bear to think too much about Emily, our 1-year-old. I was already thinking of the cell phones and tracking devices I’d have to equip her with when she was a teenager out on the roads alone.

The world is such a scary place! Surely these “strong” women I saw everywhere were really good fakers. Or maybe being strong is just overrated.

I remembered a verse in Corinthians that says we should we rejoice when we’re weak because that’s when we’re strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Hmmmm, I thought. Why in the world would we rejoice when we are weak? I tend to freak out when I’m weak.

Gradually the idea began to make more sense to me. Think about David, who stood against a giant. You could say David was weak by comparison, but he had a secret weapon who was much bigger than Goliath. David may have been weak, but God was strong enough for the two of them.

I eventually threw out those perfect images of women who are strong to the core, because I know no amount of human strength could add up to a portion of God’s strength. I don’t need to be particularly strong; I just need to believe that God is on my side when I face things that are bigger than myself. Strength doesn’t come from within; it comes from above.

BROOKE KEITH is a Christian writer whose devotionals appear regularly in War Cry magazine, Devotions for the Deaf, and on CBN. She is the author of the forthcoming children’s series Imagine, and her poetry for children can be found in Christian gift stores around the world. Brooke is a blessed wife and mother of three, who lives in awe of God’s faithfulness.