Was the Apostle Paul near his breaking point while he was in the city of Corinth?

 Sometimes I get the impression that the spiritual giants from the Bible like the Apostle Paul and Elijah were always up, never down and never struggled.  I should know better.  Right?

The weekend sermon from our church--Ada Bible Church--resonated with me because of its openness about how life can take you to the breaking point and how God can meet me in my time of extreme need.

It's the beginning of a multi-part series of sermons on The Resilient Life, on how to bounce back after feeling life you're at the breaking point. 

My life has been pretty good and I've had more blessings than I can count.  But there have been days where I couldn't always say that. 

At the beginning of his sermon, he held a tree branch to demonstrate breaking.  He bent it to the point of almost breaking.  I have had times where I could identify with that.

I need to let the sermon marinade in my heart.  I know that I'm not immune from hard times or severe challenges again.  Perhaps, I'll run into somebody who is.  I know that there are periods where I can be afraid of what's to come.  The pastor shared Acts 18:9-10 where Jesus appears to Paul in a vision and tells him not to be afraid.  Then Jesus tells him why.

Life can turn on a dime and I know that.  I want to be ready. 

We first watched the sermon at home during supper on Saturday through ustream.com and then again on Sunday. 

I pray that God meets me as I meditate on this sermon.