God Meets Me in My Weakness

A journey through loss and surrender 

Callie Hime 

As I prepared to speak in a staff chapel for Intentional Life Media, my words came from a place of raw honesty. I said, “Thank you that you are faithful to use weak things, Lord. That’s when your power is made best.”  

I didn’t pray those words because I felt strong. I prayed them because I didn’t. Losing my mom to pancreatic cancer left me undone. She was my heart person, the one I shared life with. Within 51 days of her diagnosis, she was gone. 

I didn’t have the strength to keep going. But God was showing me that my weakness wasn’t something to hide—it was the very place He wanted to meet me. 

The Phone Call That Changed Everything 

I will never forget the day my mom called and said, “I need you to sit down.” 

Her voice shook as she told me she had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. We had just spent a summer kayaking together. She was so full of life and laughter. Suddenly, I was facing the unthinkable: watching the strongest spiritual influence in my life begin a fight she would not win. 

From that moment forward, weakness became my daily companion. I didn’t know how to carry it—but I discovered God’s strength was already carrying me. 

Weakness That Turns You to Cling 

When I think about that season, I don’t picture myself walking calmly beside the Lord. I picture myself clinging to Him—gripping with everything I had.  

• I couldn’t pretend to be strong for my family.  

• I couldn’t hold my emotions together at school.  

• I couldn’t control the outcome of cancer.  

• All I could do was hold on to Jesus with both hands, trusting He wouldn’t let me go. 

The Battle of Dying 

In her last days, my mom wasn’t fearful of eternity—she knew the hope of heaven. But she was fearful of dying. That was new for me, to watch someone wrestle with the spiritual battle of letting go. She would say again and again, “I don’t want to go through this part.”  

We prayed over her. We read scripture aloud. We reminded her of God’s promises. And in those moments, I realized weakness doesn’t disqualify faith. It’s part of it.  

Faith isn’t the absence of weakness; it’s trusting God with your weakness. 

His Goodness in the Hardest Moment 

On Thanksgiving morning, when God took her home, I expected only sorrow. But what I felt in that moment was overwhelming awareness of His goodness. My dad and I were overcome by it. Even before her body was taken from the room, we knew—without doubt—that God had loved her with mercy and grace to the very end.   

That was God’s strength showing up in my weakness. It was nothing I could manufacture. It was His presence carrying me in the hardest moment. 

Strength in Surrender 

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9 came alive to me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (ESV). 

I had always thought strength meant pulling myself together. God showed me it meant falling apart in His arms. I thought faith meant being unshakable. God showed me it meant naming my fear and still trusting Him anyway. 

God’s power is revealed most clearly when I am too weak to stand on my own. 

If you’re walking through a season where weakness feels overwhelming, know this: you don’t have to be strong enough. You don’t have to prove resilience or pretend to be strong. God’s power is revealed most clearly when you can’t stand on your own. 

He meets you in weakness. He holds you when you can’t hold yourself. And His strength will carry you all the way through.   

Callie Hime  

Callie Hime serves as the Middle School Dean of Student Life at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in Tucson, Arizona, and brings nearly two decades of experience in education to her role. She has a genuine heart for guiding students and supporting their families. Her career is marked by a dedication to nurture young people academically, emotionally, and spiritually. Callie approaches her work with a personal touch that reflects her own faith journey and encourages spiritual growth in the students she serves. 

Outside of work, Callie is a loving wife and mom to three teenagers, a family life that keeps her days full of energy and perspective. Through every season of life, she remains passionate about encouraging others in their faith and a steadfast hope in Christ. 

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