His Part and Ours

2 Corinthians 12:9

Al Hunter was a fellow member of FPC and fellow lover of Christ. Al was an engineer, an outdoorsman moved by the wonder of creation, adventure of creation, and Al loved his family, friends, and his wife of 56 years Sandy. Al also enjoyed some obscure literature. He turned me on to this book by a guy named Sidlow Baxter. “His Part and Ours.” As is evident in the title, the book is broken into two parts: God’s part is the first half and Our part is the second half. Al wanted to take on a writing project simplifying and improving the thoughts of this little book. Sadley Al passed away this spring. As far as I know this project did not see completion. So, for Al, here is a succinct review of “His Part and Ours.”

Baxter quotes John Spencer in the foreword. An excerpt of this quote:

All the good things that can be reckoned up here below have only a finite and limited goodness…
All do serve, but none do satisfy…But Christ is full and sufficient for all His people.
Christ is more to a poor soul than if it had all the world a thousand times over.
John Spencer

Chapters 1 and 2 are “My Grace” and “My Strength” 2 Corinthians 12:9

My Grace

God doesn’t remove Paul’s “Thorn” but rather responds and says, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Only the Divine can empower this statement, “MY grace” empty words from anyone, but God. “SUFFICIENT” Grace is given that is appropriate for the “Thorn.” My need for Grace as I struggle with living in Bellingham, being a father, a worker or a friend, may be an entirely different grace that which is needed for a parent/worker/friend living on $1 / day in the mountains of Nepal. “THEE” Christ way is not to make our tasks easier, but to make our power equal to our circumstances.” The very things which seem to break us, are the things which really make us.

My Strength

“My Strength comes into its own in your weakness.” What are the weaknesses in which we are strong in Christ? What are the afflictions? What suffering comes from the fall vs. what suffering is “allowed” by God in order that Strength might come from our Weakness?

It seems to me in God’s Creation (and in the rest of the trinity of God – Creator, Savior, Holy Spirit) there is some beautiful and divine intersection of our nature and God’s Kingdom. It is the intersection of his part and ours. I believe we live in the melting pot of our weakness, laziness, selfishness, suffering and unfulfilled desire to thrive, succeed, and achieve competence; but fortunately, also in this soup of life is His Grace, His Strength, and the daily reminders in His creation. In this melting pot place, we can at times wallow in the lowest of the low: We feel failure, incompetence, pride, suffering, and a drive to succeed… left unfulfilled. And in those lowest moments a sliver of Grace breaks through like an inspiring song. Or a surprising accomplishment washes over us like a sublime tie breaking goal in stoppage time.

Not long after David, our youngest child, was born, our daughter Annika noticed that her Dad (ME), was not very available. She noticed that I was tired and had little left over, after parenting a newborn, to engage with her and Nic. She wrote a beautiful and yet gut-wrenching note, which stated, ‘Nic and I are lonely, and we need more from you.' It cut me to the core and made me question everything in my existence as a father. I felt horrible incompetence in the very endeavor I would most like to succeed. I didn’t know how to respond. I knew this was a truth that seeped into other parts of my life. If Annika and Nic my beloved children felt pushed aside, how must Lisa feel, my friends, my work, my calling…I must be failing at all of it. In this lowest point, I could not have felt more weak and worthless. I did not have an answer for Annika. I was tired, exhausted, and I saw no way out. I had a conversation with Annika in which, I promised not change, but simply responded with, ‘Sweetie, there is nothing I would rather do well, I don’t like it either, but I feel so incompetent as a Dad and I’m sorry.’ Something to that effect. More or less, I said yes, I suck and it’s not going to change. A couple months later on Christmas morning, I opened a picture album from Annika. It was filled with pictures of Annika and Nic growing up and us playing together, having fun, poignant moments together. I paged through the book thinking it was sweet, but not having any idea what was coming... On the last page of the book, Annika had simply written, “You are more than competent. Love Annika.” Even as I write this, I remember the moment and the bright-shining-sliver of Grace that broke through in that moment. God’s Grace, God’s strength manifest in my weakness. His Part and Ours.