Part of last week I spent getting my son (and myself) organized as we count down until his new school year starts. I went into his room to do one thing, and then found myself completely cleaning it out. We sorted toys out he no longer plays with, pulled the clothes he no longer can wear (which was most of his pants and shorts – he’s had a growth spurt!) and then I tackled the marker bag.

The marker bag has been with us probably longer than Caleb’s been alive. It’s a mixture of pens and markers, things I used when I was on my scrapbooking kick and crafting craze. It’s wound up being a marker bag for Caleb to use in coloring, but I knew there were a lot of markers in there that didn’t work. I pulled out an old scrap of paper and Caleb and I sat down on the floor of his room and proceeded to sort the “weak” markers or the ones that didn’t write at all, to the strong ones which we kept.

As our system developed – pick up the marker, take the cap off, scratch a doodle on the paper – Caleb and I would take turns saying “weak” or “this one’s good” as we threw the markers in the respective containers. The strong ones stayed – the weak ones got the trash bag.

It got me thinking how grateful I am that God doesn’t do that to us. I’ve had some weak moments in my life, particularly during this deployment, where I’ve felt very close to dried up. I’m not bursting out with color, I’m barely making a mark. And yet, God in His incredible way, knows how to infuse me, how to strengthen me, how to bring me back to my original condition that He created me to be.

So when you’re feeling weak, just remember that God loves you, and He’s holding onto you. He knows exactly the vibrant colors you can offer in life and He’s standing by You, just waiting to help. You only have to ask.

God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace. – Psalm 29:11 (The Message)

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