God’s strength is sufficient enough to carry us through even our weakest moments in life.
Erin Kelly is the oldest daughter of former Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback and cancer survivor Jim Kelly. She shares how God’s strength carried her through the hardest times of her life– including her dad’s battle with cancer and the loss of her brother to a rare disease.
“I was talking to God, asking Him ‘what does this ‘Kelly tough’ thing really mean?”
As a little girl, Erin always looked up to her father’s strength. He encouraged her to use ‘Kelly toughness’ in moments of weakness. Now the Kelly family invites all of us to use the ‘Kelly tough’ mentality.
“We wanted to share the hope that we have so that others in the midst of their own circumstances and their own struggles can look to the strength of God like our family did.”
Erin knew that her dad’s strength to overcome his cancer wasn’t enough on his own, and the Kelly family had to rely on God’s strength alone to help fight the battle.
“I couldn’t rely on my dad getting through this disease on his own and his own strength, it would be completely impossible; we had to rely on the strength of God. ‘Kelly toughness’ transformed into no longer just being a physical toughness but a spiritual and emotional toughness that we’re going to rely on the strength of God in the midst of it.”
Toughness is more than a physical or mental toughness of a football player or athlete, but more about a statement of character; who you are on the inside.
She recounts her experience visiting her dad in the hospital during radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
“My dad is physically tough. He was known as the toughest quarterback in the National Football League when he played, but I was looking at a father who was struggling through cancer and who really was physically weak. I had to turn to the strength of God in the midst of that.”
We learn from Erin how strength can also be found in vulnerability.
“I was always so used to my dad as being a tough strong guy and it was weird for me to see my big tough daddy being physically weakened. It revealed to me the strength of God. It taught me that it’s OK to be weak, it’s OK to cry and it’s OK to let your guard down and be vulnerable. Because sometimes in our weakest moments, we are at our strongest because we allow God’s strength to be displayed in the midst of that.” –
As hard as it was for Erin to see her dad fight the battle of cancer and grieve the loss of her brother, Erin learned along the way that the only way to regain her strength was to rely on God.
“In our weakness we learn to rely more heavily on the strength of God. Ultimately when you come to that place where you are weak and you don’t have any strength left to give on your own, you have to turn to Christ.”
