My faith is the most important part of my entire life. I love Jesus more than I love anyone or anything else in the world. This being said, it is ridiculously easy to become discouraged, spiritually lazy, and even depressed- all the while doing my best to live out this faith I hold so dearly. Coming to Tres Dias, I envied the excitement of the other women who seemed so on fire for the Lord. Like, Lord? Are you there? Can You sprinkle some of that Holy Spirit dust on me? But God… He’s always got something better in store for us. Sometimes I am afraid to dream because if I can dream it, He will outdream it times a million, and then I’m just… in awe. Anyway, my three days with the Lord and with His servant-hearted women were precious to me in so many ways. I was so desperate to see the evidence of His Healing Hands, because my soul was (and always is) so longing to be touched and have healing for my very own. God came down from His mighty throne and healed a friend sitting right across the table from me, while my hands were on her pleading in His name. God came down and whispered my name to me throughout the whole weekend: Annamarie; both full of Grace, AND pure. How could it be, that my Jesus loves me deeply enough to fill my heart to the brim and make me whole again? How could it be, that He would individually change the hearts of each and every single woman on my weekend (MN Women’s Tres Dias #19, booyah!) in a way only they would know? How could it be, that God brought me there in the presence of His Glory, raising up the theme of His ever-flowing GRACE!, and finally, finally, my heart understood what I have longed to believe so achingly: Annamarie, My Grace is sufficient for you. My Power is made perfect in your weakness. Be confident in Me. Let Me be your Rock. Let Me love you. You are My beloved. I have given Myself for you. Will you say yes to Me?
I felt my heart break in a thousand different ways during Tres Dias, and then I felt God put me back together with absolute tenderness. Repeatedly, He pursued my whole self, until at last in tears I submitted and let Him take over. (Don’t be fooled, folks. Stubbornness isn’t really a virtue.) Jesus broke chains that have held my heart for years, and sent His own confidence to me to continue living-and dying- for the faith He died to give us.
Thank you, men and women of Tres Dias, for allowing God to use you to bring forth His light and glory and GRACE on earth. We are the hand-crafted instruments in the most majestic orchestra of Heaven! Even the angels look at us with a yearning to be loved as much as God loves us.
De Colores,
Annamarie McClain
2 Corinthians 12:9-11
“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.