Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Wednesday!  All is well here at 811. Treatment 9 done,  25 to go.

Dear God, I do not like admitting my weaknesses. But scripture tells me that You love using weakness to achieve your great plans. I have faith enough to believe that your glory shines through the weaknesses you have made strong in each of us.  You have given me the hope that I need to get through every situation. Tonight Lord a shining light of hope and wisdom has gone from this world. You provided the voice of Dr. Maya Angelou as a voice of hope and strength in a fallen world. Help us as we grieve this great loss and live into the hope of her words inspired by you and walk in your constant presence. I love you Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen

Dr. Maya Angelou passed away. She has always inspired me. I loved the sound of her voice and the clarity of her words.  At one time her greatest weakness was making the choice to not speak for years due to an incident of abuse in her life.  For those years instead of speaking she learned by listening and reading.  Perhaps this was the very time in Dr. Angelou’s life that God began to perform miraculously. Dr. Angelou had exceptional talents that helped transform the lives of so many in her quest for justice.  I believe that God worked through this woman turning her greatest weaknesses into strengths that so many have received benefit.

God works through us when we humbly admit we need him. One of the pieces of wisdom from Dr. Angelou is, “Modesty is a learned behavior, but humility comes from within.”  Humility is the admission that apart from God we can do nothing. When God is within us our weaknesses are the areas God uses to grow our strengths. We become teachable when we humbly open ourselves and believe that God’s good plans are achieved through His power. Our weaknesses are God’s opportunity to work through us. Opening ourselves to the vulnerability of humility can be scary. But when we do open ourselves with the willingness to be taught by God then we receive through Jesus God’s personal love and care and we will be have a sense of unshakable hope and peace.

“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: 10

Take joy in the journey and pray for Dr. Maya Angelou’s family and friends that God may attend them in their sadness and grief.  Wear comfortable shoes, get some sleep and think pink!  Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene