More Sustainable Energy

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. (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

As I was searching for an older article, I came across Ali Hormann’s post from 2016, “Sustainable Energy,” in which she talks about the problem of climate change. Truth be told, with police brutality, violent protests and responses to protests, and COVID-19 dominating the headlines, I’d kind-of forgotten about climate change. (At least all of us having to travel less during the pandemic has been good for the environment.)

While the world continues to debate how to get the literal energy we need to power all the modern technology we now use more than ever, my thought on seeing her title was, “YES, I need energy!”

I’m tired. Mentally tired from having people in the house all day. Physically tired from having spent the past two weeks with my sister’s family chasing our total of five boys around all day. Emotionally tired from worrying about school in the fall, racial equality, what the pandemic is doing to the economy… Just tired.

Ali wrote,

Recently at my Moms & Kids group, local author Rebecca Worl came to talk about the struggle she had finding the energy she needed to be a full-time mom. While she was talking about Paul’s struggle against pride in 2 Corinthians, she said something that struck me to the core: “We cannot depend on ourselves for this energy, we all need sustainable power.”

Amen to that. There are so many people who need sustainable energy: front-line healthcare workers; essential workers at grocery stores and gas stations, which can’t shut down; single parents struggling to find childcare; families with two working parents trying to balance working from home and supervising their children’s education; anyone trying to just come up with something for their kids to do. They need the Jesus who said,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

Trying to live out of my own strength during a global pandemic is impossible. I need to truly be relying on God for my energy—much more than I’m used to doing, to be honest. I can’t boast about my strength anymore, because it’s gone! God is forcing my hand, taking away my ability to rely on myself, and giving me the chance to find his sufficient grace. And if we can all live into God’s rest, that will be our strongest testimony to the world, which also desperately needs it.