When God Sends Help Instead of Strength

First, I’m so thankful to guest blog for my friend Catherine, who teaches me so much about the Lord and His graciousness every single time we talk or spend time together. Truly, she is one of those people who simply reflects Jesus in the way she loves and sees others, and I’m grateful for her friendship.

A little about me. I’m a wife, mom of two kiddos (including a soon-to-be kindergarten graduate, which I still cannot emotionally process!) and a very busy three-year-old, and I’m also a licensed occupational therapist who recently made a pretty major career shift and stepped into the role of Director of Women’s Ministry at Charleston Southern University.

Honestly, this new season has already stretched me in so many ways. It has been exciting, beautiful, overwhelming, humbling, and deeply encouraging all at the same time.

And if I’m honest, there have already been moments where I have looked at the Lord and quietly thought, “Really God? You want to give them THIS version of April in this season?”

Not the rested version.

Not the polished version.

Not the version with endless capacity and margin.

This version.

The one balancing transition, leadership, motherhood, kindergarten graduation emotions, caring for the people she loves, new systems, new people, new responsibilities, and a heart that deeply wants to serve people well while also quietly wondering if she has enough to give.

And yet somehow, in the middle of all of that, I have been so incredibly encouraged.

Because almost immediately, God encouraged me through Exodus 17 and 18.

In Exodus 17, Moses stands on the hill while Israel is in battle below. As long as his hands are raised, Israel prevails. But eventually Moses grows tired. His strength runs out. His arms begin to fall.

And what struck me recently is that God does not shame Moses for being human. Honestly, I also find it so interesting that God chose a way for Moses to lead that physically he could not sustain by himself. Moses was never designed to carry the weight of leadership alone.

So God sends Aaron and Hur.

They stand beside him. They hold up his weary arms. They help carry what he was never meant to carry alone.

Then immediately in Exodus 18, we see Jethro lovingly look at Moses and basically say, “This is not sustainable.”

Moses is trying to carry every burden, solve every problem, meet every need, and lead every person himself. And Jethro steps in with wisdom and perspective and says, “You cannot do this alone.”

So Moses begins building structures of shared leadership and shared responsibility.

And I just keep thinking about how beautiful it is that these chapters sit side by side.

First, God provides people to hold Moses up.

Then God provides people to help share the load.

I think so often we imagine spiritual maturity means eventually becoming strong enough not to need anyone. But Scripture tells a different story.

Again and again, God comes close to His people through people.

Through Aarons.

Through Hurs.

Through Jethros.

Through wise counsel.

Through shared burdens.

Through community.

Through the Body of Christ.

And honestly, I think that has been one of the greatest encouragements of this season for me.

I walked into this role wondering if I was enough for what was ahead. But instead of demanding perfection from me, God has simply continued providing people.

People who encourage.

People who listen.

People who lead faithfully beside me.

People who gently speak wisdom.

People who step in and help carry weight.

And maybe that is part of the miracle too.

Not just that God strengthens us, but that He refuses to let us carry things alone.

Maybe His provision does not always look like removing the battle. Maybe sometimes it looks like someone quietly standing beside you helping hold your arms up when you are too tired to keep lifting them yourself.

Maybe sometimes His nearness looks like community.

Honestly, I think that is part of what I am seeing all throughout Scripture lately anyway.

From the garden to the wilderness to Jesus Himself, we see a God who continually moves toward people. A God who enters stories. A God who draws near in weakness, uncertainty, grief, exhaustion, shame, and ordinary life.

A God who comes close.

And maybe one of the ways He comes closest is through the people He sends to stand beside us along the way.

Even now, as I pray about how to join God in what He’s already doing on our campus, I find myself coming back to this over and over again. My prayer for Campus Ministries is that we would come alongside our wonderful students as they serve and lead on campus, partnering together in ways that reflect the heart of God.

Because we truly are not meant to do this alone. We physically cannot.

There is no way one person could effectively reach, disciple, encourage, and care well for every student on a college campus. But when we partner well with the people God has already sent, with students and fellow staff members, with local churches and ministry partners throughout our city, we can link arms and become stronger together.

We sharpen one another.

We complement one another.

We help hold each other up.

And together, we grow closer both to the Lord and to each other while inviting as many people as possible to come with us.

Maybe that has been part of God’s design all along.

Not independent strength.

But faithful people linking arms under the gracious presence of a God who continually comes close.