The Strength of Weakness
“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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me .”
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 -
‘Strength’ is a coveted characteristic these days, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who desires to be described by the word ‘weak'. What is deceiving, however, is where the source of our strength actually comes from when we feel it and where the value of our weakness lies when we feel that, too. We can try to flex our physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual muscles as much as we want or attribute our lack of ability to an equivocal lack of said muscles, but the reality is that believing we have any control over the possession or absence of power in our lives is pure deception.
A few years ago, I felt like I was on top of the world. I had success, confidence, a strong professional reputation, and all the fun stuff money could buy. I also had a sweet, little family that rarely got my attention, a faith that remained stagnant and unshaken because my basic needs were met, and an ego that launched me into the ‘I can do it myself’ category. But the problem with self-sufficiency is, well, self-sufficiency. I erroneously believed I had it all under control, and that God’s provision was a nice safety net that felt separate from and secondary to all the things I had filed under the prideful illusion of my own accomplishments. I was under the false assumption that power and weakness are completely separate from one another and that they are found on opposite ends of the spectrum. I thought I held a self-sustaining power and that weakness wasn’t a term that existed in my vocabulary. I was wrong.
Try to imagine me shouting this loudly as you read it, “THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SELF-SUFFICIENCY!” I may be providentially allowed to drive some of the details of my life with my individual choices at times, but it would be foolish for me to think that I have any control in regard to the overarching big picture. God’s design is for both the honor of his glory and the foundation of our good. He knew the only way to break me was to let me break myself. Once I was on my knees grieving over my physical illness, I was ready to shut up and listen. How beautiful and life-altering this stillness has proven to be. From one perspective, I’m weaker than I’ve ever been. I’m limited from almost every angle and it is most definitely a struggle. In fact, my left eye and left hand are not cooperating very well as I’m attempting to type this blog post. I’m churning these words out with as much patience and fortitude as possible as I lean on Christ for the strength to finish my thoughts. My spiritual strength, however, has grown ten-fold and all credit goes to the One who, not only sustains me in my darkest hour but lifts me above the heaviness of needing to be the sole source of energy required to propel myself through every revolution around the sun. I’ll take that tradeoff any day.
And the really great news? This power isn’t reliant on me at all, not even a little bit. It’s totally derived from God and his unbelievable grace to reach wherever I am in my life (and in my own head!). I would have never known this level of strength had I never known this level of weakness. One elevates the other and it’s an incredible experience woven together perfectly by the hands of our Creator. It’s tough, there’s no getting around that. I felt stripped of so many things I held high. But the weirdest part? Once I tasted of The Lord’s goodness, the importance of the seemingly meaningful stuff began to fade. I started viewing life through a different lens and began prioritizing people and time over money and success. My passion shifted from accolades and status to service and showering others with kindness. I still screw up, but that weakness is covered under the power of The Lord’s mercy, too. I have the peace of knowing that I can trust God’s intentions to be good and rest in the faithfulness of the future he has mapped out for me.
So embrace the weaknesses in your life. They are there for a reason. You can choose to fight against them and lean on your own fruitless strength to rise above these hurdles, or you can give them over to Christ in exchange for a heart filled with his power, motivation, confidence, and love. I’d suggest the latter of the two choices. I can attest to the joy you’ll receive in the process.