The Portage

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The Portage

2 Corinthians 12:9. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

 
John-Keith, Nathan, Luke
The gentle breeze nudged the waves towards the smooth rocks surrounding the land. The water licked the polished surfaces as we pointed the bow of our canoe towards the landing spot in the woods. Others had already arrived and were preparing to move their crafts along the path to the open lake on the other side.
I heard the crunch of the boat’s bottom scraping on the shore and gingerly stepped into the cool water. My new Keen boating shoes acted like a sieve as the cool liquid covered my feet.  Grabbing the front of the boat, I slogged onto higher ground while thinking about the instructions for our first portage across the land. It all looked so simple when the demonstrators effortlessly rolled the coracle above their heads and moved with ease along the shore.
With determination I donned my 65-pound backpack loaded down with a week’s worth of clothing, toiletries, and a portion of our food supply and prepared for the “effortless roll.” Planting my feet to keep from falling backwards from the weight of the backpack, Dad and I heaved the monstrous beast onto our shoulders, balancing the boat’s seats on top of our heads. Dad started moving and I tottered behind until we came to the rocky slope that led to the path that would take us to the next launch.
I froze at the bottom of the first step. I now knew clearly that there was NO WAY I could lift my foot to the first step. All the months and years of sitting at a desk flashed before my eyes as the weakness of my legs became apparent. I knew that if I even attempted the first rocky step, everything would come crashing down on top of me. The deficiency of my leg muscles began to scream and was joined immediately by my tongue. HELP!!
So many times in life we are forced to utter this four-letter word. HELP! Even beyond physical weakness, there are times when our emotional & spiritual weaknesses cause us to cry out for a greater source of power to sustain during difficult times. The world considers this impotence something to despise, but God’s Word calls it an advantage. When we call out to Him in our weakness, He fills us with His limitless strength.
In a matter of seconds, I felt the weight of the boat being lifted from my buckling neck and legs. Luke had come running and relieved me of the burden. In just a few minutes, he and Dad had the canoe to the top of the incline and halfway up the path. Something I absolutely could not do was done in a matter of minutes because Luke’s power took over when I was weak.
God’s Word promises that for the believer His grace will be sufficient in every difficulty. His power will be made perfect in our weakness. When we absolutely can’t go on, His strength will show up as we call out to Him. There is no insult, distress, persecution, or difficulty that He can not handle on our behalf. When we are weak, then He is strong.
Our amazing week of canoeing and “ruffing it” in Algonquin, Canada, continued. There were more portages ahead, but I felt a new confidence. At each place where my weakness became apparent, either Luke, John-Keith, or Nathan stepped in to replace the strength I lacked with their muscle.
Praise God that in every area of life His grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in our weakness. Cry out for His help because when you are weak then you will truly be strong in His strength!

Love,

Mama

5 Comments

  1. Julie@comehaveapeace on July 28, 2014 at 3:07 PM

    Love this. Did you find yourself mentally "writing" while you were in Algonquin? 🙂

  2. Sandra Sheridan on July 28, 2014 at 3:25 PM

    Yes. What a great place to experience God in a new and vibrant way. 🙂

  3. crystalhornback on May 1, 2015 at 2:58 AM

    Rejoicing that God IS sufficient and that His power IS made perfect in our weakness… what beautiful truths! #livefree

  4. Julie Lefebure on May 1, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    Praising God today for being all-sufficient and all-powerful, and that we don't have to be. Resting in this truth today! Thank you for pointing us to Him through your words. Following you at #livefreeThursday. God bless you!

  5. Remembering A Great Vacation on July 27, 2017 at 2:11 AM

    […] Summer is the time for vacations and today I am going to share a post I wrote three years ago after one of our best. Thank you to our dear friends, the Kinsinger family, for sharing their time and camping expertise with the Sheridans. We had a blast!  The gentle breeze nudged the waves towards the smooth rocks surrounding the land. The water licked the polished surfaces as we pointed the bow of our canoe towards the landing spot in the woods. Others had already arrived and were preparing to move their crafts along the path to the open lake on the other side. Continue Reading Here […]

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Hi, I'm Sandy! 

I write inspirational letters based on the Bible that share words of hope, encouragement, truth, and healing to my children and anyone else who longs for a mama's touch.

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