Unexpected Strength

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength"- Philippians 4:13 (NIV).

The car in front of me this morning had a sticker on the back window with Philippians 4:13. It was the perfect Scripture for my morning, having just completed a week of work requiring physical strength (which I have little of). The work included pushing, pulling, and moving heavy boxes of testing materials. Taking Scripture to heart, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:23), I rolled up my sleeves and put my shoulder into the work. It was tempting to complain: this does not fall under my job description, I'm too old for this, my education is in educational leadership, not box handling...bottom line I would have been complaining against God, Who placed me there, dishonoring Him, and self-placing myself above such a menial job. I'm so glad I had the chance to work with the other "box handlers" and that I didn't miss out on our conversations about God's grace, love, and provision, while Christian music played in the background. It was a week of sweet communion. Another verse from Philippians serves our purpose here: [Jesus] emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant...He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death" (vs. 7-8). This has been a humbling week, filled with unexpected blessings, and unexpected strength, that I'm very thankful for Father.