Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

• Isaiah 40:29-31

“An example of faith was found on a wall of a concentration camp.  On it a prisoner had carved the words:
“I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine.
“I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown.
“I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak.

“I try to imagine the person who etched those words.  I try to envision his skeletal hand gripping the broken glass or stone that cut into the wall.  I try to imagine his eyes squinting through the darkness as he carved each letter.  What hand could have cut such a conviction?  What eyes could have seen good in such horror?

“There is only one answer: eyes that chose to see the unseen.”

• Max Lucado, He Still Moves Stones

Lucado tells a powerful story of a prisoner who had faith, strength, love, and hope.  Since the topic was strength, we can focus on that one, but when we look at any of these traits, there is overlap.  The overlap should not be a surprise.  The power to possess all these things come from the same source, Jesus.

The prisoner in the concentration camp was stating roughly the same thing that Jimmy Valvano said when he talked about how cancer could take away all the physical things, but it could not take away your mind.

The point is, we each have our prisons.  We each have some obstacle in our path that seems to be stronger than we are.  That may be the case from a physical standpoint, but with faith in God, we can continue to fight.  We can continue to grow stronger by looking to Jesus and growing more like Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.