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“Two Left Feet”
By Susanne Scheppmann
Key
Verse:
“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.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV)
Devotion:
The
accordion wheezed in and out with the melody, while the tuba burped out the
rhythm—oompah pa pa oompah. The oompah band, dressed in traditional Bavarian
style attire—red knickers, canary yellow knee socks, small hunter green vests
and green felt caps with bright red feathers wagging from the brim--played for
the crowd. Each musician clutched his instrument as if it were his lover and
then nodded toward the audience, encouraging them toward the dance floor.
Several
members of my extended family stared at the video recording of my
father-in-law’s retirement party. We sat mesmerized as we relived the gaiety of
those priceless moments. With oompahs playing in the background, we watched ourselves
hitch arms and jig in a large circle. And, of course, human nature as it is, we
all wanted to see ourselves dance to oompah music.
Suddenly,
I spied myself. I thought, “Ugh!”
Unfortunately, my father-in-law paused the video and said with an air of
surprise, “I didn’t know you had two left feet.”
I have many deficiencies—two left feet is a
minor one. Trust me, I have some really doozies of problems in my life—like we
all do. But I know for a fact that no matter how large or small my deficiencies,
Christ is all sufficient in my life. I have been a Christ follower for over
thirty years and not once has Jesus failed to meet my needs. I can say along
with King David who wrote, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart
trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks
to him in song” (Psalms 28:7 NIV). I may have a myriad of deficiencies, but I
can still sing for joy in His strength.
We all have deficiencies. God created us that
way. Why? So that we must learn to depend on Him as our key verse states, “But
he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness."
So
today, I am going to dance in faith with my two-left feet. Will you join me in
trusting Jesus, our Almighty God, with your deficiencies?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I recognize my need for Your strength in
my life. My day-to-day existence is fraught with deficiencies. Thank you for
being more than enough in my life. Thank you for being my Almighty God. In
Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Consider in what areas you need the strength
of Christ today. Take a short time to pray and ask Him to give you endurance
and the hope to see you through each difficulty or deficiency you face today.
Remember He is our Almighty God.
Reflections:
What type of “deficiency” do you feel
you have?
Do you believe you can overcome it by
yourself?
How can God’s strength enable you to
endure difficulties?
Power verses:
2
Corinthians 1:20-21, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are
"Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by
us to the glory of God.
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.” (NIV)
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.” (NIV)
Psalms 37:39, “But the salvation of the
righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of
trouble.” (KJV)
Psalms 147:11, “Those who fear God get God's
attention; they can depend on his strength.” (MSG)
© 2010 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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