Thankful Thought - You can't do it on your own

Our situations remind us that we can't do it on our own 

Transcript

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This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Hello and excuse me, welcome to Shine. I'm your host, Nicole Florence, and today is our thankful thought. And you know, sometimes as I go through my week I have a very clear idea of what is going to be my thankful thought at the end of the week. But there's other times where I just get up in the morning, I listen to the birds, um and reflect. And there were so many moments this past week. It was really hard to choose, but there was an overwhelming theme. And with that theme, it was the fact that sometimes we have to be put in certain situations. We have to go through things, um, sometimes time and time and time again, or we don't feel like we can get a break, right? It's like trying to swim to shore, but you feel like there's a a rock um tied to you that you're not getting anywhere. And as you look to shore, every time you take a pause to look to see where land is, it seems like it just gets farther and farther and farther. I think some of you probably know what I mean in that feeling. And you know, it's hard. We start to panic, we get fearful, we um, you know, go through the why me? Why am I here when everybody else seems to be on shore living their best life? And it reminded me that part of that feeling of me having that rock that's keeping me from swimming to shore is that sometimes that rock is there to act as an anchor, that we need to maybe be still. We need to learn to float, maybe tread a little water, because what's at shore is not really where we're supposed to be and not really for us. And we have to also have the understanding that once we do get there, it clearly was not by our own power because we don't have enough strength to swim to shore. We do not have the ability within ourselves to navigate the deep water and even the storm when it comes. And there are times we have to be in that situation to truly understand that when we do get there, it was not by our own strength, it was not by our own intelligence, it was not in any way by our own power. But it was clearly by God's power and God's design. And the only way for me to have that testimony when I get to shore is to clearly understand and know that in my mind, in my heart, in my spirit, when I get there. So for any of you that may be feeling the same, I hope you know that even though you don't know how you're gonna swim to shore, and even though you're exhausted and flailing, I hope you understand that you are in fact being anchored. You are in a place where you have to understand that part of it is to know that you cannot do it in your own strength. And it's only through him that you are going to make it through shore. I say this because you know, just when I think I'm almost getting there or I'm, you know, joyfully floating on my back and enjoying the calm waters is when we sometimes get very abruptly sinked back in. And it's clearly in that moment when I don't know how or who or where to get through those moments that I do remind myself that getting through those moments I can only do through the spirit. I cannot do it on my own. And when I focus on that, and I am calm, I can comfortably tread water or float on that water, even if it's rough and full of waves, even if the rains are raging, because I know that I will be safe and I will be guided to shore. And I am may appear to be guided by shore by myself. Um sometimes he sends a lifeboat, sometimes he sends another swimmer, someone to be with you as you are swimming to shore. So thankful for those that have been sent to me. Special shout out to my friend Arua, who Lord knows we've been treading water together for a really long time. But when I am in those moments and I don't know what to do or how I am clearly not going to drown, is when I calm myself, I center myself, and I ask the spirit. And let me tell you, that's immediately when you get that phone call, or the person who's been swimming alongside you reminds you, hey, I got you. And I know that they were only sent by God to help me swim to shore. So I pray that many of you who are in that same situation will see and understand that, will be able to get through those moments. Um Psalm 57 is yeah, it's a go-to that you will be able to use your prayers, your scripture, that you also know that those moments are to remind you that you can't do it on your own. And that's when the Spirit will be there to bring you your people, or give you that wisdom and light the path for you to either joyfully float on your back and enjoy the calm despite the storm around you, or help you swim to shore. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.