The Last Straw

 Earlier this morning, I was talking to a friend who's been caring for her mom for the last few years. We were talking about the overwhelm of caregiving. I said, "There's a special armor for caregivers!" I know there is an extra measure of grace for us. There just has to be. 

Paul wasn't a caregiver like us, but he did have a lot on his plate, caring for the early church. In fact, it's in 2 Corinthians 11 where he mentions it. He's giving a list of things God has brought him through; maybe he's encouraging himself a little like David did. He's listing shipwrecks, beatings, traveling miles and miles, and more. 

Then in verse 28, he says, then besides all this, I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along. (NLT) Sounds like a caregiver to me. Personally, as I'm running through my list of the day, the needs, the situations, there is almost always an emphatic, PLUS...

But as Paul is going through his experiences, he wraps it all up in chapter 12. Paul shares how he asks God to remove his thorn in the flesh. He actually asked three times! But God replied that His grace was enough. I have a bit of a different image of that. It's not just that His grace can stretch enough to cover it; He adjusts it as more is needed! His grace completely fits and exceeds our need in every moment of every day.

God told Paul that His grace was enough for all you need... if your need expands, His grace expands further. We can start out our day and feel like we have it all in control. Then, suddenly, something blows a huge hole in it, and we are wiped out. Think about the proverbial camel with straws on his back. No single straw is heavy. But each straw adds more weight until he cannot carry it anymore. God's grace can handle our last straws. And if another "last straw" is placed in the pile, God's grace doesn't tap out. It expands to meet the need. I love that about God!

Today, I will remind myself that God's grace surpasses all the tasks on my plate. I'll try to picture His grace running out before me before I get to the next big straw! My meditations will be on how He has kept me covered along this road, and He will continue to go before and behind me. I will remind myself that there is grace enough for today, and I will trust Him with one more day. Will you join me?

Check out my latest release. Command Your Morning is a 31-day devotional that is focused on taking charge of your soul and day in the morning and trusting God that the rest of the day will follow suit! You can get the eBook from my shop at Buy Me A Coffee. Or the print and Kindle versions are now available in my Amazon Shop.