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Thursday, October 9

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.
—2 Corinthians 12:9

Not long ago, I attended a meeting dominated by statistics.  With unfailing precision, those in charge painted a dire picture of healthcare. Zip codes had the power to predict how long one would live. Numbers told the story of how many people were at risk, how many already had  chronic diseases, how far they lived from a medical facility, how many calories they consumed, what kind of calories characterized their diets, and the statistical link between health and insurance. 

In the ensuing discussion we weighed what we might do to turn the tide of events. The more we talked, the more helpless we felt. The problems were so overwhelming, and the statistics so accurate, they virtually drained us of hope. We realized that our discussion was driven by problems. We had been studying death, not life. 

There are many times in our lives that when we talk about the “honest truth” we find what is wrong, what is broken, and what needs to be fixed with almost immediate certainty. It is true that to deny the statistical analysis of death would amount to a moral compromise. And it is true that if we do not tend to the problems that face us in our personal lives, or in the life of our community, we would be negligent.

But God has a word for us when daunting realities and statistics that trace injustice become overwhelming. We find that we are held in a grace that is sufficient for us. It may not be all we want. It may not solve the problem we face immediately. But it is sufficient. 

And then we find that God’s power is made perfect in weakness.  If we knew where to look, and if we could move beyond the statistics, we would find life in those who live “too far” from a hospital, and life in those dealing with chronic disease, and life at work when weakness is the diagnosis.

No matter how great the odds against us, we are reminded that God’s grace is sufficient for the living of life.

God of grace, and God of glory, sometimes we forget that despite the problems we face, the truth is that you have shown us the way, and that your grace is sufficient, and that your power is always at work. Amen.