"But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

     As I stood in a receiving line yesterday at my mother’s memorial service, I heard several comments concerning her spiritual impact on people's lives as they watched her battle with cancer to its bitter end. One of the well-wishers summarized Paul’s thought in 2 Corinthians in his statement: "The more the cancer progressed, the more we saw Christ reflected in Myra’s life through her determination and courage." "For when I am weak, then I am strong." One of the cards which particularly grabbed my attention was from one of my parents neighbors. In barely legible writing this octogenarian told of the diagnosis of both herself and her husband with diverse forms of cancer. Mom had made several trips down the block to offer words of encouragement to this couple in their own encounter with cancer. "For when I am weak, then I am strong." One of the highlights of mother’s memorial service was a presentation of pictures from her life with the song In Christ Alone in the background. The words of the final verse are:

     No guilt in life, no fear in death,
this is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry, to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,
here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

     "For when I am weak, then I am strong." My mother’s legacy to me and to those around her in her final days is the recognition that God is a master at taking the brokenness of our lives and using it to change the lives of others. My hope for Grace Baptist Church is that we can find the courage to let God use our brokenness for his glory.