Embracing Our Weakness
BY BENNETT ROLAN | BSF Blog Editor
Lying in a hospital bed, weighing just 89 pounds, Susan Smith was “a total wreck.”
“I fell apart. Our marriage fell apart,” Susan said. “I was truly at the end of myself.”
For four years, Susan and her husband, Lindley, had cared for their daughter, Elizabeth, who was born severely brain damaged.
“We began an intensive therapy program in our home 16 hours a day, seven days a week, with 200 volunteers from our community helping us around the clock. After four years of this strenuous lifestyle, my marriage failed, Elizabeth’s progress was minimal, and I found myself completely broken,” she said.
As a competent and successful occupational therapist, Susan thought she was prepared for the challenge of meeting the special needs of her daughter after she was born. But being a health-care professional, whose job is to make everyone better, “It just made it worse,” she said. “Without me realizing it, [Elizabeth] had become my god at the expense of everyone and everything.”
In that season of despair, Susan’s entire identity as a wife, mother, friend and professional fell to pieces. Yet while she struggled under the weight of her supposed failure, Susan had no idea the God of grace and mercy was about to change her forever.
A New Beginning
“I finally truly surrendered everything to the Lord,” Susan said. “He gently convicted me of my sin of putting my child before my husband and putting everything above Him.
“I began a slow climb upward with Him leading instead of me. I worked on my relationship with God first, my husband second and discovered a new acceptance of Elizabeth’s condition. It was a two-year process of getting healthy.
“During all of this, a friend invited me to BSF. BSF was the foundation I needed to keep all these relationships healthy and in the correct priority.”
Susan poured into her BSF study. As God transformed her heart, He also transformed her marriage.
Thirty years later, after serving in several BSF leadership roles, including as teaching leader, Susan retired from BSF. Her four children were grown, and as Elizabeth’s needs intensified, Susan took a step back from the ministry she loved.
BSF was the foundation I needed to keep all these relationships healthy and prioritized correctly.
“When Elizabeth started failing health-wise, I didn’t want her to die. I didn’t want to let go of her,” Susan said. “I surrendered to the Lord and re-surrendered. I finally gave her over to God. I had watched her suffer so terribly for years. I finally said, ‘Lord, you’ve got to take her.’ ”
But God still had plans for Elizabeth’s life, and after Susan’s moment of surrender, Elizabeth started to recover.
With a renewed commitment to live each day for God’s glory, Susan and Elizabeth prayed for direction.
“I just tell her, ‘You have to be the one who teaches us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. You are the one we get to serve, and you teach the rest of us how to serve,’ ” Susan said.
A Given Purpose
Since then, Susan and Elizabeth have started several ministries for people with special needs. They have hosted a prom at church, started a line of bath and body products produced by disabled adults and hosted Friday night Bible studies on the family’s farm.
More recently, the two have become involved with a local ministry for women who are recovering from addiction.
“A year and a half ago, a friend brought some of the women to the farm once or twice a week. Elizabeth is a big part of this,” Susan said. “The women learn how to cook, care for goats and chickens, how to work and how to serve. At the time, God was speaking to me more and more about biblical hospitality in Romans 12 and 13, how to open my home and life to others.”
“Elizabeth has the joy of the Lord in her, and they can see that as they work,” Susan said. “We always talk about Matthew 25:40, ‘What you’ve done for the least of these you’ve done for me also.’ ”
An Abundant Life
Through all of this, Susan has discovered what she calls “an abundant life.” Elizabeth’s diagnosis has not changed, and her challenges are just as difficult. But since Elizabeth’s early days in the hospital, Susan’s life has not been her own.
She surrendered her identity as a wife, mother, friend and professional long ago, when it could not rescue her child or sustain her in dark moments. And through the loss of her worldly identity, Susan is complete in Christ.
“I was a strong and resourceful person, but I learned how to submit. I truly came to the end of myself,” she said. “I think that if you’re not in the Word every day, transforming your mind, you have no power. If you aren’t in the Word, you aren’t empowered by the Holy Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 1:25 tells us: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
In Susan’s desperation, God’s wisdom was revealed. And in Elizabeth’s condition, His strength is evident.
“I think that if you’re not in the Word every day, transforming your mind, you have no power. If you aren’t in the Word you aren’t empowered by the Holy Spirit.”
Elizabeth’s life and Susan’s work are remarkable, but when asked about her ministry, Susan just says:
“It really isn’t us. I hold on to the fact that God can use the least of these for anything. My flesh struggles, but I know my time is not my own. Abundant life in Him is obeying every step of the way, giving away everything that’s in your fiber, that’s when you know the fulfillment of joy.”
Thank you for sharing your powerful testimony. God will renew our strength when we think we can’t endure. We must trust and obey him and not let our will interfere with His Plans for our lives. He will delivery us every time.
Thank you for this. As I prepare to retire, from a normal everyday 9a-5p I ask God to please lead me to serve Him. I just want total surrender in Christ Jesus, to serve Him and to know the abundant life you speak of. Thank you again.
Praise the Lord for your story. How powerful is our Almighty God. What a blessing you and your story has and is being for so many people probably not just in the states, but around the world.
Thank you for being so open to sharing your story.
May God above look down on you always and give you His perfect peace.
Love, blessings, and hugs.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this encouragement at this time in my life. God is faithful and He will do it!
This is such a beautiful and powerful story. It really gave me a lot of encouragement and reminded me again that no matter what Our circumstances are, if we surrender our life and our whole being to God we can still be Blessed and become his special instrument to bring blessing to others. Thank you for sharing this story with me.
Thank you for sharing Susan’s story of submission to God totally and completely, and the overcoming victory and healing that happens. I needed this. God bless you and the BSF family. I have not been able to attend classes this year. Thank you for the blogs.
Thank you so much for the honesty in this post. It reminds me of so many friends who seem to have lost their identity after they retire and are no longer in the work world. Our identity is in Jesus Christ and our love of HIM is all that is important! This is the sweetest love story!!
Thank you, Jesus. We have an awesome God who will never fully understand…He is so good and I praise him for stories like that of Elizabeth…
Thank you for sharing – thank you
I am learning slowly oh so slowly (according to my standards, and yet that is God’s grace at work in my life) …learning to totally and surrenderly’ lean on my Lord – His grace and mercy is keeping me 69 years and still HE LOVES EVEN me! Hallelujah – Hallelujah – Hallelujah- Hallelujah!……
Thank you for sharing your incredible story of a life lived for Jesus. It’s an inspiration and a reminder of how very important it is to hear God’s voice and to submit oneself to His plan’s rather then clinging to our wants and desires. We lost our son 4 years ago. It was devastating. Turning it over to the Lord has made all the difference. It has opened doors to share the great love, mercy and grace that our Father in heaven has for all. God bless you in every way.
God bless you for sharing your story. How it is important to submit your live daily to Him.
God bless your heart for sharing. Through your testimony I have learnt the power of total submission and surrender to the Almighty God through faith in His word and His son Jesus Christ in order to fulfil our purpose and enter His rest. I pray that the Almighty God will pour fresh oils upon you, renew your strength and give you a new song concerning your daughter Elizabeth and ministry in Jesus mighty name.
How encouraging to read of the joy of releasing all control and following God’s lead in your marriage, family and Work at BSF as well. I trust you will be blessed as others share a similar situation.
Thank you for sharing your encouraging testimony! Your message confirms our need for God’s Word to daily transform and direct our thoughts by his powerful Holy Spirit. He is never finished with us and wants to use us for his purposes. BSF has been my foundation to keep me disciplined in balancing my priorities and relationships. To God be the glory!!
Thank you, Susan, for this sharing. SO helpful, so rich.
May the Lord pour out His blessings on you, in all that you do for Him, including those times of quiet when you simply sit in His presence.
Thank you for sharing it was very encouraging to me and it was something I needed to read,because it helped me understand my purpose for God . The verses are also very helpful. Thank you very much you’ve helped me more than you know.GOD BLESS!!
Very encouraging story. God bless
Thank you for sharing your faith journey with a child with special needs. Our granddaughter has a condition that has just been diagnosed and we know God has amazing plans for her to bring Him glory. He never makes mistakes and His way is perfect!
Thank you Susan for your testimony. It a testimony of our power vs. God’s power. BSF is an awesome Bible study.
What a blessing you, Elizabeth and your family are to other people.
Thanks Susan for sharing. Reading the Word of God transforms our mind. That’s powerful.
Thank You Susan for sharing your testimony; The Lord has blessed me to be able to read it, He always knows what we need and He is never late .Thank you for being sensitive to God voice.
Blessings.
Thank you for sharing your story and how God makes use of the least of us for his glory. May God continue to bless you and use you…our life is not ours but his…
BSF also has played very significant role in my journey of faith…the timely help and deeper understanding of our God and the fellowship.
What a great testimony of faith and live and strength and God’s power.
I am so encouraged by Susan and Elizabeth’s journey. I have an adults one who suffers from Autism and it is a daily struggle. Thank you for sharing. I would like to know if there is aBSF group in St. Louis for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Thank you for sharing your story. As I read it, all I could do was think of all the other people I hoped could read it and be blessed. Then the truth of it all came vividly clear, this story was exactly for me. It blessed me, opened my eyes and heart to Gods awesome power . Romans 8:18 says it best !!!
Thank you so much for your honest view of your pain and frustration that God used to enlarge his territory, totally an amazing heartfelt expression of what God will do when we don’t know what’s next or where to turn. Jeremiah 29:11 also comes to mind as I embraced Elizabeth’s journey through your eyes. Powerful I must say. I’m truly thankful and honored that you shared such a powerful message of hope and what God will do to bless our brokenness in this life, especially when what we see isn’t what we hoped for. I pray that God will use my story to bless someone just like yours blessed me today…
My life prayers are that God would enlarge his territory through me for his glory in Jesus Christ name….
God bless you. Your testimony blessed me.
This beautiful story touched my heart. My son is on the autism spectrum and life is a struggle for him and for us. Although his problems are not nearly as severe as Elizabeth’s in this story, his weakness is also my weakness. I know that God has made us both strong in the surrendering of self and embracing of His strength and power. I agree that time in God’s word every day makes ALL the difference. The Holy Spirit empowers me to encourage my son to become who God planned him to be despite his differences and difficulties. The Holy Spirit also empowers me to press on as an STL for BSF. This is what God has designed for my life and I have resolved to persevere when it is hard and when the world tells me it is okay to give up. Thank you for sharing this remarkable story!
Elizabeth and Susan’s story have touched my heart. My family have faced many challenges for the past 3 years since my daughter’s brain surgery. I thanks bsf has been a channel for me to build a close relationship with God. Everyday God gives me strength to go and He assures me that He is there for me and my family one day at a time.
Thank you such a beautiful story. After joining BSF, I loved the way you finally submitted to God. For faith in Jesus through the Holy Spirit working in our lives is the way back from spiritual death. Enjoyed how God lead you to open your heart becoming a vessel He could use for the kingdom. Beautiful story of submission to the leading of God. Blessings to you and your family.
Thank to God that gaved you strengthened, empowered spirit to becoming new family . God will use your family to bless others.
God the Creator of all truly uses all circumstances n situation For His own glory
Thank you Susan for encouraging message you have shared with the whole world. God Bless you
What a beautiful story! thak you for sharing this to us. God is unstoppable. I believe that!
The quote under the bride and bridesmaids picture is SO true. What a beautiful inspiration this story is and a powerful testimony of God’s grace❣️
Thanks so much for sharing this with me.Now I know better that my time and my life doesn’t belong to me.May God use all I am going through for his glory and honor.Amen