I Discovered My Favorite Verse in a Bathroom
By Patti Jensen
Mitchell County
Girlfriends in God, an Instagram account I follow, posted a photo recently that included the verse “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:9 and since it is one of my favorites, I immediately wanted to share it on my blog. This verse became a soft place to land when we were in Seattle for my husband Jack’s bone marrow transplant for leukemia. There I was, 2,000 miles away from home, with my sick husband, our two children ages 4 and 7, and my mother and father in law. I felt alone and helpless.
I can vividly remember going into the bathroom in our rented apartment in downtown Seattle and flipping open my Bible. Jack was to enter the hospital the next day (Christmas Day) to begin his radiation and chemo prior to the transplant. He was given a 30% chance of survival. We were trying to keep things “normal” for our kids. I was trying to keep my positive face on for everyone around me. But I was struggling not to fall apart right when we were going into the heat of the battle.
I flipped open my Bible in the bathroom (I know …. it’s the bathroom…but it was the only place to be alone) and this is the scripture that the Bible flipped open to. Isn’t God amazing how he just meets us wherever we are, even the bathroom in a rented apartment thousands of miles away from home, and gives us what we need? I had just prayed…Lord, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what is going to happen. Help me be strong. And then He sends this scripture.
He says…I am sufficient…I am enough…I am all you need. And if that isn’t good enough…My awesome power is made PERFECT in weakness. Bible scholars may argue that what I took from this isn’t what was intended. But what it meant for me was ….Patti I know you are at your weakest. You have never been in a more scary or vulnerable place. And now I AM AT MY BEST….MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT. Lean into me.
And I did. From that day on I just simply said, Lord, your power is perfect today. We can do today. One Day at A Time became my motto.
On New Year’s Eve, we marked 22 years since the bone marrow transplant. 22 years since that moment in the bathroom where I simply flipped open His Word and said Help Me. He is a faithful friend. We lived through that time to be here today to tell you that He is Faithful. We lived through it to tell that when you are at your bottom, He is at the top. He showcases His Perfect Power when you are at your weakest point and cry out and say Help Me. He will be there. I promise.
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Patti Jensen is the writer and creator of the lifestyle blog “A Grateful Girl” which features encouragement, a focus on gratitude with some lifestyle tips and recipes thrown in for good measure! Patti is married to Jack and has two daughters, two great sons-in-law and a new granddaughter, Georgia Grace. You can find her posts on Instagram and Facebook and on her blog at http://www.agratefulgirl.com.
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